


Love, Lust and Everything in Between

by ylc



Category: Good Omens - Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Genre: Denial of Feelings, Fluff, M/M, Romance, angst? not really, silliness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-18
Updated: 2014-10-21
Packaged: 2018-02-17 22:00:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 16
Words: 29,966
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2324657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ylc/pseuds/ylc
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Objective? Making the angel Fall. How? by making him believe he was in love with him. Problem? Crowley wasn’t sure whether he was faking it or not.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So... here's the second Good Omens fic I wrote. This was written back in 2009 and I finished it in 2010... although there's an epilogue I promise I'll write at some point and maybe even a sequel... if I get enough inspiration, that is.  
> Good Omens and all characters related are property of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Every couple of decades or so on, Aziraphale would drop out of the face of earth. He wouldn't say a word about it; he would just disappear in the middle of the night, leaving no note, no quick phone message, no nothing behind.

Crowley always complained loudly after that.

But it wasn't as if the angel could help it. He couldn't tell anyone where he was going; not only for his own sake but also because… oh, well, better not even think about it.

He had intended on leaving the night before; Crowley had asked if they could have lunch and he had said they would, knowing full well he wouldn't be there by the time the demon walked into the store. He also knew that, by the time he came back, he would be lucky to find London still standing, between absolute chaos and destruction.

Yet, she had called. And so there he was, still in London and waiting for Crowley to show up. He would have to come up with an excuse to end lunch quickly. Crowley would protest about his abrupt departure but he guessed it would end up better than if he had left in the middle of the night.

The phone rang. The angel stood up almost instantly and picked up, quite anxiously. Sometimes he wondered why his heartbeat seemed to speed up* whenever he heard her voice. Sometimes he realized it was almost the exact feeling he got whenever Crowley stood too close to him. Most times he would much rather not think of it.

"Angel?"

Oh, fake alarm. Well, better to keep with the appearances "Hi dear. Don't you think you're running a bit late?"

"Yeah. Umm. About that. I don't think I'll be able to make it."

"I beg your pardon?" no, he didn't feel disappointed, he told himself. No, he had been planning on leaving early, hadn't he? So, why would he feel disappointed for Crowley cancelling lunch?

"I just… got a quick call from Down There. I'm supposed to meet someone in fifteen minutes."

"Oh, right." Why did he sound so crestfallen?! It was for the best! It would make things far easier! "See you some other day, then."

He hung up, completely missing the demon's also embittered words. He sunk down into his chair once again.

Just then, the bell on the door rang merrily.

 _____________________________________________

*Although that was more or less impossible, seeing his heart didn't actually need to beat.

______________________________________________

Crowley stared at the phone for a while, not able to believe that the angel had actually hung up, without throwing some sort of fuss. He was used to Aziraphale's calm demeanor but this was… well, really unusual. The angel cared a lot about being polite and doing things right, which often meant he hated to have meetings called off in such an unceremoniously way. He was also normally more concerned when Crowley was supposed to meet one of his Superiors…

Deciding he really couldn't spare another thought on the silly angel and his strange behavior, the demon continued driving down the lane, finally spotting a parking place close to the restaurant where his meeting was about to be held. He turned the car's engine off and waited for a couple of seconds, trying to pull himself together. Hell didn't arrange too many meetings with its 'field's agents' but when it did… it could only mean trouble.

Carefully, he stepped outside the car and started walking towards the restaurant. He was wearing a highly fashionable pair of black jeans, with a dark dressing shirt. He truly liked this new outfit and had been hoping to hear Aziraphale's approve on it but now, it seemed, things weren't going to go his way today.

Sighing, the demon steeped into the bistro.

* * *

When she smiled, Aziraphale always had a hard time reminding himself this female-shaped creature wasn't to be trusted or even talked to. If his Superiors were to know that he had continued to meet her after the 'Incident', he would never hear the end of it.

However, she looked as angelic as any other average Heaven's Messenger. She still had the soft long brunette locks, the sweet smile and the kind soft brown eyes. She still seemed incapable of evil. She still looked all nice, caring and forgiving.

But she was a Fallen One. And Aziraphale wouldn't let his guard down around her.

"I don't think we've been at your place since… well, I really don't know. After all these millennia, memories tend to become somewhat fuzzy…"

"You had never been at my place, Karin."

"Ah. That explains a lot." She giggled somewhat girlishly and the angel smiled. Somehow, she always managed to bring a smile to his lips "I like it. It's a bit dusty but suits you fine, I guess."

Aziraphale, who couldn't tell if he was being mocked, patronized or complimented, settled for another smile "You look fine, my dear."

"Well, thank you! You don't look that bad yourself!" she smiled mischievously and leaned closer to him, "You have lost weight, I noticed."

"Just a couple of pounds" he said, somewhat bashfully "Hardly noticeable, really."

"Just because he hasn't complimented you about it, doesn't mean he hasn't noticed."

"W-What?!" the angel knew he was blushing madly and Karin smiled even more kindly "I don't know what you're talking about"

"Sure you don't." She leaned against the chair's back, smirking teasingly, making her seat lost its balance and almost crashing against the floor "Dear, this is highly uncomfortable!"

"Well, maybe you have forgotten, but we, angels I mean, aren't really into getting all too-comfortable. It would be like…"

"Yeah, I know" she pouted "but I also remember you were all into the making the guests feel welcome and be outrageously polite"

"Touché" the angel said, smiling "Shall we move this conversation to the back store?"

"Yes. I have the distinctive feeling I really want to see this back store of yours…" 

* * *

Crowley couldn't really hide his relief when he saw the male-shaped creature waiting for him. He had expected to face a rather menacing evil looking kind of bloke, but it turned out to be an old acquaintance of him. Not that the demon had any friends Down There, but some of the other demons were okay-enough to be of his liking.

And, after spending almost a millennia being under his command, Crowley rather enjoyed working for Lust.

"Crowley!" the other demon exclaimed, with a calm smirk, offering him a friendly hug which was never completely unusual coming from him. He had always been known for his… umm… irregular behavior. "Long time not seeing you!"

"Hello," he responded smoothly, smirking lightly "It's been a while, indeed"

"Take a sit, boy, take a sit!" the Deadly Sin continued, before sitting down once again "Fancy a drink?"

"Yes. Yeah, that would be great"

Lust smirked some more and gestured for the waiter to come forward. The waiter, a young boy not older than 17, approached them looking somewhat apprehensive. "A bottle of your finest scotch, boy" the higher-ranked demon ordered and dismissed the kid with a wave of his hand. Crowley just watched in silence. "So; expecting someone else?"

"What?"

"Oh, come on Crowley. Relief was written all over your face when you saw me. Perfectly understandable too, considering your recent entry to Hell's Very Black Books."

"Well, I…" Crowley felt himself blushing and fought it back. He would not embarrass himself in front of one of his Superiors, never mind if he felt somewhat comfortable around him "I was expecting some sort of Hell's payback, eventually."

"Brilliant, if you ask me" Lust proceeded with his speech, his smirk going wider. "Averting the Apocalypse! And showering Ligur with Holy Water! Who knew you had it in you? Quite a backbone, my boy."

Crowley frowned. He didn't like being called 'my boy' by no one else than a certain angelic individual. It sounded just wrong otherwise. "It seemed like the proper thing to do at the moment," he explained as calmly as possible "I certainly never expected them to send you to talk to me, really."

"Talk to you? Like in 'scolding' you or something? Crowley, you're definitely losing it" another smirk "That's not the sort of thing we do Down There. Either we punish you ruthlessly or we pretend it never happened. I'm merely here to replace your previous Supervisor; my sis Envy, I think."

"Ah… yes. She never liked me too much"

"Figures. Which is the main reason she didn't pay too much attention to your work. And which brings us down to the reason of my visit. But we'll get down to it later. For now, cheers!" he exclaimed happily, their drinks having finally arrived.

Crowley lifted his own glass and took a sip. Maybe, it wouldn't be as bad as he had expected…

* * *

"This is an awfully nice couch, Zira" Karin exclaimed, plopping on it "yes, very nice indeed. And definitely, not something you would choose"

"Crowley brought it" the angel explained, not looking at his companion "Figured it would be for the best, seeing how much time we spend here."

"Oh? Is that so?"

"I know that look, Karin. And it's not what you're thinking."

"And you sound awfully disappointed about it" another smirk. Hmph, she was getting better at the whole I'm-evil-thing; so, the angel decided, it would be wise to avoid any further discussion on that particular matter. "So… how are things between you and… eh… Louis?"

He always had problems finding the right way to designate Karin's lover. Lover would have the most accurate word, in fact, but it just didn't seem to grasp the whole meaning of what those two had. The term was too vague and he had always thought it did no justice to the relationship.

For you see, Karin's lover was also the reason of her Falling.

"We're doing just dandy, thank you very much" she smiled dreamingly and the angel couldn't help to smile in the same manner "He's here too, you know."

"I figured out that much. Not that I wasn't hoping otherwise."

"Oh? Wanted to see me all sulky and depressed because he left me all-over-again?"

"NO! I didn't mean…"

"I know what you meant," another smirk and Aziraphale realized it was getting rather infuriating "And yes, he's your friend's new Supervisor. I expect it would save him a bit of trouble, for a while"

"Crowley and I…"

"If you dare to say you're not friends, I'm going to start yelling at you. Honestly hon, one can't live with so much denial" Her face suddenly got stern and serious "As I was saying, I think Louis would be able to save your friend a bit of trouble for a while. Yet, I believe things are going to get pretty nasty around here."

"Meaning?" he wasn't used to her solemn tone and didn't like the way the conversation was heading. Something was very off…

"Well… we think there's a particular reason why Louis got Crowley's case assigned." a short pause for dramatic effect and Aziraphale found himself leaning closer, his heart beating so furiously it was painful "Tell me, dear, how would you feel about Falling for him?"

* * *

"We shall make a quick review of your progress and then I shall inform people Down There about it. A small report or something should keep them pleased."

"Right. Fine by me."

"This would be the good time to tell me if you expect me to find something that might look suspicious but that you have a more-than-logical explanation for it. It would also be the perfect time to state said explanation."

"Such as?"

Lust sighed dramatically and threw his arms up, as if he was getting frustrated "Your relationship with a certain angel, whose name, I believe, starts with the letter A."

"Ah… that" he had been expecting the matter to be approached, but the demon had decided not to make it too easy for his Supervisor. And, of course, there was also the smallest chance that he wouldn't even have to mention it… "There's nothing to say, really. You know how angels can be."

"Exactly."

Crowley didn't like the tone but decided to play oblivious. It wouldn't be getting him anywhere to get his new boss pissed off after so little time in his company; nevertheless, it wouldn't be wise either to let him know too much about him so quickly "How's your girlfriend, by the way? You're still with her?"

"Yes, still." the other licked his lips, smirking mischievously "And she's really looking forward meeting you."

"Is that so? I didn't know you liked me that much, Louis. Quite frankly…"

"Oh, it wasn't me the one who talked to her so highly about you," another malevolent grin and Crowley had to fight back a shiver. This didn't sound right at all… "But, back to your problem; are you sure you don't want to talk about your relationship with this angel?"

"No. There's nothing to discuss."

"Really? 'Cause I could…"

"It's not the same" Crowley sighed inwardly, which didn't go unnoticed by his companion "Aziraphale's just an acquaintance, okay?"

"Right."

"Hey, I'm not the one who made an angel Fall for dating her!"

"Well, I'm not the one who stood in front of Metatron AND Beelzebub with an angel," a smug smirk spread across the other demon's handsome features, while Crowley found himself unable of articulating a single word in his defense "Rumors travel fast, don't they?"

"Well, we were just trying to avert the Apocalypse."

"Whatever for?"

"Do you know how boring Hell can be? I wasn't willing to go back Down There for the rest of eternity. I quite like Earth, thank you very much" he was playing cool but also knew he wasn't fooling no one.

"If you say so" a sigh; a somewhat very sad sigh "Are you sure…?"

"This is getting irritating."

"Okay, have it your way." Lust tilted his head to the side, pondering something. Silence settled around them for a while. A very unnerving silence, I must add, which made Crowley feel the need to explain himself further "You might run into some incongruities in my reports; that's because we have a sort of… Agreement, if you will. But that's all. Really."

"Hmph."

"What?"

"Well, that's the sort of thing you should never let anyone Down There know about. It's not a perfectly acceptable excuse for incongruence. Would get you killed, most likely."

"I…"

"They don't have any evidence, you know? About your relationship with the angel. I think they're expecting me to find it. Or…"

"What?"

"Well, Crowley, I think we found ourselves in a bit of a mess. Which could led us into a very nasty ending… or into getting a commendation."

"A commendation for what?"

Lust picked up his glass of scotch and gazed at it gloomily. Then, he clank it against Crowley's, in a toast mockery, slightly frowning. "Tell me, how would you feel about making an angel Fall for you?"

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here's a new chapter... hope you enjoy it!  
> Good Omens and all characters related are property of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

The idea had a nice ring on it. Crowley would have been lying* had he said he hadn't toyed with the thought long ago, back in the time when no Arrangement had been made. He had fancied the angel THAT way. And it would have made a wonderful trophy; having Aziraphale all for himself. Yes, a very tempting concept indeed.

Until he had realized he cared for the angel. In a very not-lover manner, mind you. He just didn't want to make him miserable. It didn't make sense, yet he couldn't… No, he wouldn't…

"Are you still here?"

"Yes. I'm listening."

"Well, as I was saying… No direct instruction has been given, but I presume that's the final objective. What do you think?"

"It has a nice ring on it. Would it get me out of Hell's Very Black Books?"

"You're actually thinking about it?!"

"Of course" Crowley offered the other a satisfied smirk "Wouldn't you?"

The other gapped. He hadn't been expecting that. Of course, he hadn't seen Crowley in the last… what? Two thousand years? But still… it was shocking. One of the few reasons Lust actually liked working with Crowley was because he wasn't as nasty and generally cruel as most demons were. This, however…

"Out of words, I see. That girl of yours is a too good influence, Louis"

"Maybe" he nodded solemnly. The Deadly Sin looked away, trying to put his thoughts in order. Finally, he shrugged "Well, then my job is far easier. Now that you know what to do, you just need to set the plan into motion."

"Ngk. You said you hadn't received orders, though."

"No; but…"

"Then, there's no reason for me to tempt Zira. I mean, as delightfully evil the idea is, I just don't feel like risking our Agreement out of pure entertainment"

Lust blinked. Once. Twice. Then, he roared with laugher "Right. You almost got me with that one"

"Huh?"

The demonic Supervisor grinned wickedly. Crowley had managed to sound detached, had him almost believing he was actually willing to make his friend Fall and even convinced himself he would do it if the occasion arose.

Truly, A. J. Crowley was a master of deception.

 _________________________________________

*Not that he didn't on regular basis.

 _________________________________________

"I-he-what?!"

Karin surveyed her friend with careful consideration. He looked somewhere between surprised, crossed and scandalized. There was something else in his eyes, but she couldn't quite name it. The best she could have describe it* was the look of someone who knows that has been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

Which was exactly what she had been expecting all along. "You DO like him. In that way."

"No. No. NO! Of course not!"

Yes. Yes. HELL, YES! She shook her head lightly; partly sorry and partly happy for him. In Karin's opinion, love was something to be cherished and rejoiced on it, never mind the source or the receiver. Yet, she knew Aziraphale's Superiors** wouldn't share her views "It's not that bad, you know. Falling, I mean."

"I'M NOT GOING TO FALL, KARIN!" he exclaimed "Me and Crowley, I mean… we… we're just friends."

"Funny. Seconds ago you were saying…"

"I can't Fall, Karin! I don't… I've never… I wouldn't…"

She sighed. Admittedly, Aziraphale would make a lousy demon, but so was she. And they would get to spend more time together! Wouldn't that be marvelous? Like in the old times, when… "It was foolish, really, dragging so much attention on yourselves. You should have been more discreet, Zira."

"We're not… we… we have an Agreement! But, apart from that…"

"And that's another stupid confession, Zira. You don't go around yelling you have an Agreement with a demon! You could Fall, without Crowley even trying to tempt you!"

"Right. You're right," he collapsed on the coach, next to her and buried his face between his arms "What am I going to do…?"

"Meaning?"

"Well, I can't just avoid him! I mean, I could but…"

"You don't want to."

"I'm used to him. And I really enjoy his company. And I would miss him horribly…"

Yes, that definitely didn't sound like he was in love with Crowley at all. Karin sighed. Still, there was the smallest chance that Hell didn't actually wanted the demon to make Aziraphale Fall… and as minuscule as it was, maybe they should cling to it for a little while.

"Don't freak out, hon. It could just be our imagination"

"Yeah. Right…"

The female-shaped demon sighed and threw an arm around his shoulders, in which Aziraphale guessed was some sort of comforting manner, "Tell you what, let's go out and get some ice-cream, huh?"

"What?"

"It's comfort food, dear! I'm sure you're familiar with the concept?"

Aziraphale rolled his eyes "And then you would like to take me out shopping, huh?"

A sly lazy grin spread across her features. "Nah. We can do that tomorrow."

 ____________________________________________

*And that's exactly how she had later, when she and her lover had exchanged views on Aziraphale's and Crowley's relationship.

 

**And hers, for that matter.

 _____________________________________________

Crowley parked the car a couple of meters away from the bookstore. Who would have thought that Soho was such a busy zone on regular Fridays' evenings? Of course, he could have made all the other cars disappear, but decided that Aziraphale probably wouldn't appreciate it. And, for some reason he would much rather not explore, he didn't want to make the angel upset.

He tapped his fingers against the car's wheel. After what had had just happened, maybe it would be smart to put some distance between the angel and himself. Some nagging voice in the back of his head was telling him that yes indeed, he could make Aziraphale Fall. And quite easily, too. Yet, the same nagging voice was telling him he didn't want to. That he should 'protect' him.

And therefore, the wise thing to do was to take a bit of distance.

But since when demons did what was wise?

Just as he was about to get out of the car, something caught his attention. That something being an angel walking down the street, while happily eating a chocolate ice cream. With that dreadful weather, it was insane and absolutely unusual but that wasn't exactly what got the demon's interest.

His angel was walking down the street, arm linked with a young pretty brunette female.

He felt his insides smoldering with rage. Why? He wasn't exactly sure and didn't actually let his mind wander down that path, however… It was infuriating. By some unexplored reason, Crowley decided he felt enraged. And that he needed to destroy or kill something.*

The girl suddenly stop on her tracks and took a mobile phone out of her purse. She talked with someone for a few seconds, before she hung up and looked at Aziraphale expectantly. The angel shrugged and said something that Crowley couldn't quite catch, making the female giggle.

_Giggle._  Huh. And his Superiors were always complaining about how little women he managed to condemn. You would have thought Hell was unpleasant enough without so many girlish silly giggles…

She kissed Aziraphale's cheek, before turning around and hurrying down the lane. The angel stood on the spot, waving and looking like a lost puppy whilst smiling goofily. Crowley growled.

Deciding he had had too much niceness and that if he spent another minute around there he was going to get sick, the demon turned his Bentley's engine on and drove off.

After all, he had better things to do than getting drunk in an angel's company.

 ________________________________________________

*Preferably a certain brunette girl but decided he would settle for anything that crossed his path right then.

 ________________________________________________

Aziraphale was trying to read a book. Key word 'trying', meaning he wasn't being very successful. His eyes traveled over the words endless times, not even once picking the meaning. Then again, things had stopped making sense a while ago. He sighed.

Since 1020, after the Agreement with Crowley had been made, he found his conversations with Karin increasingly disturbing. In the beginning, it was the intriguing smiles whenever he mentioned Crowley. Then came the seemingly innocent side remarks. And now…

She might or might not been right. About him being a little too fond of the demon, that is. Whichever the case, it didn't matter. Especially not now, seeing that Hell had decided to pay so much attention on them. Falling for a demon* wasn't an option.

He hadn't expected things to end up that way. Naturally, he should have known better. His best friend had fallen for getting too close to a demon and now he was so close to doing the same… No. Not ever. He wouldn't. He couldn't. He shouldn't.

Never mind how incredibly tempting the idea was, he wouldn't.

He couldn't.

He shouldn't.

People say that if you repeat a lie too many times, you'll start believing it.

As unsettling as the idea of lying was**, Aziraphale truly hoped that was exactly what would happen.

 _______________________________________________

*In any sense of the word.

**Even if it was only to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? I apologise for any mistakes you found, this fic wasn't beta'd. And on a related note, for those of you reading my other fic, I promise I'll update soon, it's just my beta is having some internet troubles so I'm waiting for her...  
> Thanks for reading!!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... here's a new chapter! Thanks a million for the hits, kudos and comments, I'm always really happy to check my mail and find notifications!  
> Good Omens and all characters related are property of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.

Saying that Crowley's reports had a few incongruities was an understatement. Saying they were basically full of crap would have been the most accurate way of designating them. Oh, this was bad, very bad…

"I'm amazed it went unnoticed for so long, as the matter of the fact! I mean, could it be more obvious?!"

"Darling, I'm trying to sleep. Could you keep your thoughts to yourself?"

"Why should I help him, anyway? I'm a demon; I'm not supposed to do nice-y things"

"I thought you liked him?"

"We- demons, that is- don't…"

"I know, I know. Umm… then… 'Cozz Zira is my friend and we want to keep his 'friend' out of trouble?"

A glare. The female-shaped creature giggled "Seriously dear… Let's not worry about that just yet, huh?"

"This could get us in big trouble. And it won't be worth it"

"Oh, I wouldn't say that. If we get those two together…"

"We're not fairy godmothers, Karin! I'm Lust itself, for someone's sake! I don't help people to fall in love!" he was visibly shuddering and wincing and the Fallen Angel smiled kindly, before kissing his temple "It'll be alright, you know?"

"I should have run away from you when I could"

A laugh. A sincere, somewhat childish and very angelical laugh "But love, what would you do without me?"

* * *

Crowley figured it wouldn't be a pleasing meeting the moment he walked through the door. Something in Lust's sulky look told him so and he wasn't disappointed the moment the older demon started yelling at him.

Yelling. Actually yelling. Well, that was new. The Deadly Sin usually had such an intimidating aura surrounding him that he didn't need to scream to get his point across. This time, however, some good old bellow seemed to be in order.

"… absolutely stupid! I'm bewildered it failed to drag someone's attention for so long; but honestly Crowley, you were always so subtle! Whatever happened to you? You didn't honestly think people Down There would be idiotic enough to…"

"Stop yelling, would you? My eardrums can't take it anymore"

"Your…? CROWLEY! YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT HERE! YOU'RE GONNA GET YOURSELF KILLED AND I HAVE THE DISTINCT SUSPICION YOU'LL BE DRAGGING ME INTO THIS MESS!"

"Well, then just…"

"SHUT THE HELL UP!" his intimidating aura was at its maximum and Crowley had to admit it was really menacing. It would be smart to do as told, "Now listen and put all your attention in what I'm gonna tell you. Because, if you mess it up, however slightly, I'll make showering you with Holy Water seems like the most merciful thing I could have done!"

So Crowley did shut up and paid close attention to his Supervisor's words.

* * *

It had been a dreadful idea. He should have known, by the maniacal glint in Karin's eyes whenever they entered a store, that they would never be leaving the mall.

Malls. A Hell's invention, no doubt.

And it wouldn't have been that bad if she had contented herself with dragging him into every single store and made him carry her bags while she tried on hundreds of outfits that undoubtedly she didn't need. He found prices obscenely high and the whole point of shopping was just too greedy for his liking. But the worst part, by far, was the fact that she was forcing him to try some clothes on too.

"I really don't see the point, Karin. I'm perfectly comfortable with my current wardrobe"

"Eww. Don't ever say that again, please. You never had too much fashion sense hon, but those clothes are absolutely awful." she shoved a bunch of jeans into his hands "Now, try those on."

"But Karin…"

"Oh, stop whining as do as I say!" she argued angrily, hands on her hips and threatening glare "You need a serious fashion intervention, you're gonna get it and you'll like it or else!"

The angel shook his head. It was never of too much use arguing with her, so, against his better judgment, he complied.

* * *

"Will you remember everything I told you?"

"I hope so."

A glare and the demon gulped. "Okay, I will. I swear."

"As if a demon's promise had any value," the other argued, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the chair's back comfortably "But you'll better. Now, let's put this whole dreadful business behind us and ask for another bottle of wine!"

"Aren't you going to order any food?"

"Oh, that would be for later. After all, it would be polite to wait for the other guests before ordering dinner, huh?"

* * *

Aziraphale stared at his reflection critically. Truth to be told, he looked good. Those dark jeans did wonders for his legs, making them look longer and more stylized. And it also managed to hide the slightly round belly. And the shirt was also nice, he guessed, with that lovely blue shade that made his eyes stand out…

Oh, but he shouldn't be indulging himself on vanity!

Someone wolf-whistled behind him and he felt himself blushing right away. Karin chuckled and placed a hand over his shoulder, smirking lightly "I really like how it fits. Does wonders for you."

"I don't really see the point," he argued, his cheeks still unhealthily red "Vanity is…"

"Give me a break" she protested "We're buying it"

"B-but Karin…! It's too expensive!"

"Really dear; money is never an issue for us…"

"No, but, I mean, there are so many other things you could do with a hundred pounds! Like charity or…"

The female rolled her eyes and dragged Aziraphale out of the changing room, pointing at the salesman 'helping' them "See that boy? He's about to get married and he really needs the money to pay for the wedding and the honey moon. Do you know how much salespeople earn in a year? Trust me, it's not that much."

"I don't…"

"Of course, they also get sales' commissions. And guess how much will he be getting after we walk out of this store? Believe me hon; this is better than charity."

He didn't quite like her logic but decided to play along. After all, he truly liked those jeans and he was quite sure they would get Crowley to stop complaining about his 'horrendous' lack of style* "Well… it's okay then, I guess."

"Glad you see my point," she said, before shoving him back into the dressing room "Now," she continued, turning her attention to the salesman "Could you get me that shirt in every color available?"

________________________________________________

*Not that he cared too much for Crowley's opinion, mind you.

________________________________________________

Crowley was looking around the restaurant, feeling bored. They had been messing with the people seating nearby, managing to get them to fight each other, or yell at the waiters for random reasons or just generally creating mayhem. Which was really amusing and all, but it got tiring after a while. Especially because Lust didn't even have to try too hard to get people to do wrong; he just blinked and poof! Something went utterly wrong and someone got mad because of it. Not much of a challenge, really.

So, the demon was just musing to himself whether he should make up an excuse and take his leave or not when a couple entered the bistro, getting his whole attention. Because said couple consisted of a certain angel and the female he had seen the night before leaving the bookstore.

Both were carrying a whole bunch of shopping bags and Crowley couldn't help to arch his eyebrows. Aziraphale, encouraging consumerism? Had the world gone crazy and he missed the memo? And, even worse, was the angel really dating that girl?!

"About time," he heard Lust whispering next to him but paid him no mind. A second later his mind registered that it might not be a good idea to throw a fuss about Aziraphale's love life in front of his new Supervisor and that maybe he ought to pretend the angel wasn't even there; he didn't know if the other demon could feel the angelic presence but he sure hoped he couldn't because otherwise…

The female was talking to the host, who nodded and guided them through the cramped restaurant. They were approaching. Oh, damn it, what would happen next…?

They stoped just by their table and the host went back to the entrance. "Hi dear," the woman said, smiling gently and Crowley stared at her curiously. She, however, wasn't addressing to him.

"Oh, my poor credit card," Lust complained jokingly "Do you honestly need so many clothes?"

"Yes, I do." she protested and took the sit next to the Deadly Sin, still smiling "and you never pay your credit cards, so stop whining," she eyed Crowley and nudged the other demon "Well, aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Ah, sure. Crowley, this is Karin. Karin, this is Crowley."

"Pleased to meet you." she chimed happily, shaking the still dumbfounded demon's hand "Oh, come on Zira, take a sit already!" she added, sending a chiding glare in the blond's direction.

Angel and demon looked into each other's eyes, not sure of what to do now. Crowley hadn't been expecting the girl hanging with Aziraphale the night before to turn out to be Lust little girlfriend. Meanwhile, when Karin asked Aziraphale to join them for dinner, he hadn't been expecting to run into Crowley.

It was very awkward.

"Just sit already." Lust ordered moodily "It's not like we didn't know about you two already."

Aziraphale turned an interesting shade of red while Karin giggled. Crowley glared slightly, although he wasn't sure why. The Deadly Sin just smirked confidently. Finally, the angel complied.

"Nice to see you, dear" he greeted Crowley, with a shy smile. The other made a non-committal sound, which earned him an amused glance from his Supervisor, so he settled for a real answer "Yeah, sorry about canceling lunch yesterday, by the way."

"Oh, never mind it. I do understand you had more pressing matters to attend."

Lust snorted, feeling bored already with the polite conversation. Those two were so boring! The sexual tension* was there, naturally, but so well hidden that it would take a lot of effort from his part to actually get them to do something.

And he hated working hard to get people to do something. Committing sin wasn't supposed to be difficult, so he never saw the point of making an effort. For now, he decided, he would just watch and wait. And no, he wasn't trying to play fairy godmother. He just thought it would be amusing to make those two act on their feelings**

Oh well, good thing that, as far as demons went, Lust was actually quite patient.

 ________________________________________________

*If ethereal beings were actually capable of such thing.

**Or desires, depending on how you see it.

 _________________________________________________

"Well, that was… umm… odd, to say at least."

Crowley grunted and leaned against his car, waiting patiently for Aziraphale to find his keys and open his shop. 'Odd' was too much of a soft word to describe how abysmally weird dinner had been. And absolutely embarrassing. And unsettling. And any other word you can think of to describe such a situation.

Perhaps the best way to describe it was a bit like having dinner with in-laws. Yes, downright creepy.

"Didn't expect you to be there, my dear. I wouldn't have gone, if I had known. Wouldn't want to put you under any more pressure or…"

"Stop talking, please. You're getting on my nerves."

"Oh. Right." he had finally managed to open the store's door and now that he had pushed it open, he wasn't sure what to do next, "Eh… want to come in?" he asked tentatively.

"Can't. Have lots of work to do. And I would like to get some actual sleep tonight."

"Oh. Okay."

Aziraphale felt a bit silly, standing there, on his bookstore's threshold, with Crowley leaning against his car, looking so badass and incredibly sexy… wait a second, had he just thought that?!

"So… umm… bye then." he hesitated. What was he waiting for? A goodnight kiss? Yeah, like that would ever happen.  _And you don't want it to happen!_  He reprimanded himself, sternly. Well then, time to turn around and enter his place. Yes, he would do just that…

"Bye then? Is that what I get for driving you home?" the demon asked teasingly, smirking in what Aziraphale decided was the sexiest way possible. The angel gulped.

"What were you expecting?" he asked and realized his throat had suddenly gone dry and that he was trembling with anticipation. Oh dear, this was bad…

Crowley smirked and with just one deliberate smooth elegant movement, he stepped closer. So close in fact, that the blond could almost feel his breath on his cheek. He felt like blushing, but manage to keep his cool. "And invitation for lunch tomorrow would be fine."

"A-ah, t-that. S-sure, w-why n-not-t?"

"Why are you shuttering?"

"No reason! Must be the cold, or something!" the angel exclaimed a bit too enthusiastically to make his words believable "See you tomorrow, then. Twelve o'clock?"

Crowley shrugged. "Fine by me." And before Aziraphale could embarrass himself any further, the demon was already inside his car, driving away and getting lost in the shadows of the night.

The angel sighed. Something told him this was going to be a hell of a month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Thoughts?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yet another chapter... I must admit I'm having fun rereading this, but gosh, I'm so corny sometimes! LOL

While Crowley went through all his reports, making careful corrections in all of them, he reflected on his current situation. Which was very strange, considering he had never been a too insightful creature, not even when he was an angel. He wasn't thoughtful by nature; most of the time he just went with the flow and did as he pleased or what seemed the simplest and smartest thing to do.

However, situations had changed and he needed to revaluate his views. He had always known that spending so much time with the enemy wouldn't get him anywhere. Sure, both sides benefited on the Agreement and he had gotten quite a few commendations thanks to Aziraphale's classified information. The problem was…

Well, that was exactly it. He didn't know what the problem was. Obviously, the Agreement clearly specified that both sides were strictly forbidden on smiting or tempting or anything alike the other. And while Crowley was a demon and generally didn't play by the rules, he had always felt obliged to honor the deal with Aziraphale.

So, making him Fall was against the Agreement. But said deal also stated that they couldn't mess with the other's direct orders. Meaning that no thwarting was allowed if they had received clear and specific orders from their respective bosses. So, in a way, he wouldn't be violating the Agreement, would he?

Yet, beyond that, Aziraphale was his friend. And he cared for him. He couldn't do that to him. And even if he could, the angel wouldn't let himself to be tempted and most likely would sense something was wrong if Crowley started flirting with him out of nowhere. So no, he couldn't…

He shouldn't.

He wouldn't.

Right. Because it would go against the Agreement. Not because he had 'fluffy feelings'* for the angel. No, he certainly didn't. Never mind what his Supervisor, his girlfriend and generally people Down There thought, he certainly didn't feel anything for Aziraphale.

He re-read the report he was holding. Although… this certainly suggested otherwise.

Oh crap.

________________________________________________________

*His way of designating 'love'. He just didn't like the word, especially not used in a sentence that included his and Aziraphale's name.

________________________________________________________

Karin pinched the bridge of her nose, as she always did when something frustrated her, trying to keep her anger at bay. Lust watched her, pretending not to do so and to be immerse in his analysis of today's paper.

"Anything interesting?"

"No. Some corrupt politicians, but that's hardly anything new. And apparently London's mobile systems keep getting tied up during lunch time," he smirked "Crowley's work, undoubtedly. He was always ahead with the times"

"Hmph."

"You didn't like him."

"It's just… well; I don't think he deserves Zira."

"Then again, nobody ever does." The Deadly Sin rolled his eyes "If I didn't know better, I would say you're still in love with him."

"I never was!" she argued, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly "Anyway… I guess there's nothing I can do. If he has chosen him, it's his choice, right?"

"You do realize you're trying to get your friend to Fall?" he put the newspaper down and stared directly into her eyes "That's not a very nice thing to do."

"I would say that love is worth every sacrifice."

"And you're convinced they're in love because…?"

"It's obvious, Louis! You've seen it! It's painfully obvious!" she threw her arms up in the air, pacing around the kitchenette "Right now, they're having lunch at the Ritz, being all lovey-dovey without even realizing it!"

"How do you know?"

"I have my methods."

"Please, do tell me you didn't bug Aziraphale."

"It's for their own sake!"

"Karin!"

"You know what we should do? Go clubbing. Tonight."

"I-I… Y-you… what?! What does that have to do with anything?!" he truly didn't understand how her brain worked most of the time. That was the problem with Karin; she wasn't an angel anymore but she wasn't a true demon either. She was downright exasperating, that much he was sure of.

"Well, my demon powers could use some exercising. And Zira could use a little push in the right direction. So would Crowley, for that matter."

"I'm definitely not following you."

She groaned "For being Lust itself, sometimes you're pretty naïve, my love."

* * *

Aziraphale tapped his new watch. He could swear it was buzzing, but with so much noise around them, he couldn't say for sure. Crowley observed him with middle interest, his actual thoughts somewhere far away. He hadn't got any sleep the night before; his reports grew increasingly disturbing with time. No wonder everyone Down There were sure he was in love with the angel.

"Anyway," the angel said, breaking the rather unsettling silence "You haven't told me about your new orders."

"Huh?"

"I mean, I doubt Louis is just paying you a friendly visit. It doesn't seem like the sort of thing your lot would do."

"Perhaps his girlfriend just wanted to visit you. And we just… sorta ran into each other. By the way, how do you two know each other?"

Aziraphale ignored the question, determined to get the truth out of Crowley. "I wouldn't find it so hard to believe, hadn't you called me two days ago, clearly worried about a meeting with one of your Supervisors."

"It's nothing, really. We're just… going through my reports, trying to work out some incongruities…"

"Incongruities?"

"Yes, angel, incongruities. It seems people Down There suspects of our Agreement."

"Oh" the other replied, non-too-smartly "Is there any way I can help?"

Crowley smirked. Oh, the angel was always so polite and helpful; if he only knew what they really thought… "You avoided my question."

"Huh?"

"The girl. Karin, I think?"

"What about her?" the demon arched an eyebrow, in a manner that said 'please'. Aziraphale huffed "None of your business, really."

"Oh? Now I'm more intrigued." he leaned closer, really meaning his words. He also felt something stirring inside him, that if he hadn't known better, he would have called it jealousy. But since he wasn't in love with the angel, why would he feel jealous?

"If you must know, we meet Up There; way before Earth and Time were created." Aziraphale sighed and looked quite sad "We worked together for years… she was one of the Guardians back in the Eden. And then we kept on working in Earth. Until she met Louis and decided to… eh… how did she call it? Elope."

Crowley grinned. "That's because we, demons, are so irresistible."

"I guess so,it might be the place's illumination, or Crowley's rather hyperactive imagination, but the demon was pretty sure the angel blushed slightly "I got really depressed after that. Eventually I figured I needed to move on but… umm… I found it hard not to keep on meeting her, even if it's only every twenty years or so…" this time he definitely blushed "Although I'm quite sure it's just out of friendship, nowadays."

His companion arched his eyebrows, almost sure his ears deceived him "Meaning?"

"Oh Crowley, it does no good to dwell on the past…"

He could have pressed the matter further yet decided not to. He wasn't sure he wanted to know, anyway. Some things are better to be left unsaid… "Shall we order another bottle of wine? This one is almost gone." He said, trying to lighten the mood and forget about their previous topic.

"Sure! But my dear, do you think it would be wise? I mean, with your Supervisor around here, maybe you shouldn't be seen in my company…"

"Well, as he said yesterday, he already knows about us," another soft blush spread across the angel's cheeks and Crowley couldn't help to smirk "I don't think it'll be an issue."

"O-Okay. If you really think so…"

Crowley's mobile phone rang. Which was funny, because he was almost sure he had left it back in his flat, since it had ran out of battery and he didn't feel like recharging it. "Hello? Oh. Right. Eh… yes, I guess. Okay. If you say so but I… I see. Well, in that case… U-hu. Right. Ten o'clock? Sure. Perfect. See you then." he hung up, looking not quite pleased.

"Is there something wrong, my dear?" Aziraphale asked, concerned. Crowley surveyed his companion with careful attention and shook his head. "Nothing wrong. We're going back to your bookstore after lunch, though."

"Eh… not that I mind but, why?"

The demon smirked "So you can change. We're going clubbing, after all"

* * *

Most people* would tell you it isn't smart trying to drag an angel into a night club. It's not really his their environment, you see, so most likely, he wouldn't agree to go. And, if by some miracle you managed to actually drag him in, said angel would be sulky** for the rest of the evening, spoiling everyone's fun.

Crowley would have never dreamed*** of dragging Aziraphale into such place, but Lust had insisted. And, who was he to question his Superior's orders?

The angel looked around, already deciding he disliked the place. It was dark, the music was loud and it smelled quite… eh… sinful. No, he definitely didn't like this place. Why had he agreed, on the first place?

A group of girls passed by and eyed them, before bursting into giggles and hurrying away, gaining a dark glare from the demon. Aziraphale tried to stifle a laugh; he knew how much his counterpart hated hearing people giggling. It was undignified and annoying, according to him.

They passed several tables, earning several looks and hushed whispers from their occupants. Aziraphale felt a bit nervous and keep pushing his blond locks away from his face. In front of him, Crowley walked as if he owned the place, not minding all the attention they were receiving.

"I really feel awkward, dear." He whispered against his friend's ear, trying to get the other to hear him above the loud music "And I think we look far too old for this place" he added, looking around and noticing the people in the club couldn't be above 25.

"You don't look that old with those clothes," the demon said, dismissing his worries "and the reason the girls are eying you is because they think you're cute."

"W-what?!"

"You do know you can block out the music's noise, right?" Crowley observed him over his dark lens, smirking widely "so you can hear what people are saying"

"B-but…"

"Come on. We need to find Louis and Karin"

Still red as a tomato, Aziraphale followed him.

___________________________________________________

*Sane people, that is. 

**Which was a mood quite difficult to achieve. Demons might sulk, but angels mostly don't.

***Okay, maybe he had. But he wasn't going to admit it aloud.

 ___________________________________________________

After half an hour or so, they found the Deadly Sin leaning against the bar, talking to a rather attractive female. He waved at them. "About time! Where the hell have you been?"

Aziraphale rolled his eyes and Crowley shrugged "Hard to find our way around here."

"Ah, I see. Not used to night clubs, Zira?"

"You know perfectly well that I don't do this sort of thing."

Lust snorted "Oh, loosen up a bit! Live a little! It won't kill you!" he roared with laughter, as he had said the funniest thing in the world, spilling half of his drink on the girl's dress "Oops. My bad"

"Never mind it." the female said, in a sultry manner. "So, wanna dance?"

"Why, yes of course! I…" by his mischievous grin, it was quite obvious dancing was the last thing on his mind; so, for the sake of the woman's immortal soul, Aziraphale decided he needed to intervene.

"Where's your wife, Louis? I was hoping to have a word with her."

Both of the other males rolled their eyes and glared at him. The female eyed Louis with disgust "You're married? Figures." she slapped the demon and, flipping her hair back, she walked away.

"Ouch" the demon protested, half heartedly, before turning his attention back to the angel "That was totally uncalled for."

"First of all, I'm a Heavenly Envoy. I'm supposed to thwart your evil plans, Hell's minion! Secondly, you're not cheating on my friend!"

"Who said I was…? Really angel! After hanging around with one of us for so long, one would think you know better!"

"I…"

"There you are!" Karin appeared out of nowhere, smiling widely "Took you long enough! Now that you're here, we should get ourselves a table, huh?" and without waiting for an answer, she started dragging the angel with her. Crowley stared at his boss, who shrugged and followed the other two. Deciding he didn't want to be left alone, Crowley did the same.

* * *

"And then he goes and yells 'where's your wife?'! Firstly, we're not married! And even if we were…" Lust was complaining loudly while Aziraphale was gone, fetching some drinks for Crowley and himself. The other demon just eyed his Superior without interest.

"Well, you know how Zira can be, darling. So righteous and all that… Part of the job description, really." Karin was lazily tracing small circles with her hand, not paying too much attention to her companion's protests. The other rolled his eyes.

"What are you trying to do, anyway?"

"Tempting. Inciting lust, actually."

"Oh? And how is that working?"

"I would say I'm doing just fine. Wanna judge yourself?" she stopped and turned to face him, smiling. The Deadly Sin smirked "Where?"

She pointed with her head and Crowley decided to take a look too. So, following her gaze's direction, his eyes landed on a certain angel, standing by the bar.

Only that he wasn't alone. A young girl, hardly older than 20 was standing close to him. Too close, as the matter of fact. For the second time in that day, something nameless stirred inside Crowley and he clenched his fists, barely holding back a snarl.

"Really dear…" he heard Lust whispering, but it seemed to be coming from a far away land. His whole focus solely on his angel and the female talking to him "You know you're not gonna accomplish anything"

"Well, I just wanted to see if it was possible," Karin defended herself "And it's working. On her, at least. Although I'd admit it has been quite a challenge…"

"That's because you're getting her to lust after an angel." the higher-ranked demon was explaining "Most people's sex-drives get turn off when they have direct contact with a Heavenly Envoy."

"Oh, that sure explains a lot…"

Crowley wondered briefly how truthful the statement was. His surely wasn't. Wait a second. Had he just implied…?  _Oh, you gotta be kidding me!_

Now Aziraphale was blushing madly, as the girl made an advance on him and his eyes met Crowley's among the crowd. His gaze was pleading for help and the demon was immediately on his feet, willing to comply.

Behind him, Karin smirked while Louis rolled his eyes. Trust a demon's possessive nature to get him to do something!

* * *

Crowley cleared his throat and Aziraphale looked at him thankfully. The teenager female he had been talking to gazed at the demon, but soon turned her attention back to the angel. Crowley, angered by this fact* coughed once again "Excuse me" he grunted, in a low dangerous tone.

The girl eyed him once more and he could see how much of a good job his boss' mistresses had been doing on her. Still, he was planning on walking back to the table with the angel by his side "You've been taking far too much time to get those drinks, Zira."

"I… umm… well, you see…" the angel was struggling to find the right words that would drive the girl away, without hurting her feelings. Damn him and his polite nature!

"You're far too polite,  _dear._ " he stressed the 'dear' as much as he could, without wincing. It just wasn't a very demonic word** but it seemed to be appropriate. And before the angel could do or say something, he placed an arm around his waist and pulled him close "He's not interested." he added, addressing to the female and then took the drinks that were resting over the bar and walked back to their table, his arm still around his friend's waist.

"Umm… Thanks?" Aziraphale murmured, once they were back at their table, not quite sure he wanted Crowley to let go of him. The other shrugged "You're welcome."

 _________________________________________________

*And the fact she was flirting with HIS angel. 

**Never mind that in the last few minutes he had heard his newest Supervisor calling his girlfriend by all sort of mushy pet-names. He still thought it wasn't demonic.

 __________________________________________________

"Give up already. You're not gonna win this, cupcake."

"First of all, don't call me cupcake. Secondly, I know I can do this! I'm Lust itself, for Someone's sake!"

Karin laughed merrily and finally took notice of the 'newcomers'. "So, how did it go? Did you throw a jealousy fuss or what?"

"I supposed that's how it looked like," Crowley responded, taking his seat "I was merely undoing your job."

"Oh, it's a pity. I worked so hard!" she giggled, earning a glare from the other demon "Darling, please." she said, looking at her lover.

"Okay, I do give up" he drank the rest of his beverage in just one sip, looking clearly disappointed. "People this days… some of them are truly impossible!"

"What's going on?" Aziraphale asked, having finally 'recovered' from the 'lost' of Crowley's arm around his waist and figuring that since he was hanging with demons, he was supposed to thwart them.

"Louis here, was trying to get those two," she pointed at redheaded girl talking to an also redheaded male "to hook up. And failed. Miserably"

The Deadly Sin huffed and refilled his glass, empting it shortly after. His girlfriend smiled "Tried to warn you, dear. You can't mess with real love."

"What?" Aziraphale and Crowley were completely lost. What did one thing had to do with the other? They both stared at the brunette female-shaped demon, who snorted.

"Well, you see, the girl's wearing an engagement ring. Normally, people get engage when they're in love."

"Not always." Lust pointed out, with a bit of a smirk on his lips.

"Most of the times," she glared darkly "and you can't mess with that. Love is above everything, isn't it? Which means demons can't really destroy it."

"We can. We just need to work harder."

"Not real love, Louis" she argued "Zira, help me here, would you?"

"Well… Love is supposed to be the Supreme Divine emotion. So yes, I guess it can't really be messed up by demons. Not real love, at least."

Karin seemed satisfied. Lust looked sulky. Crowley felt confused "But love is messy, by definition," he argued "Just look at any famous lovers. They always have their lives turned upside down and they always have a tragic ending! Romeo and Juliet, Tristan and Isolda…"

"You're thinking of literary couples. Real life is not that complicated." Aziraphale discussed.

"Of course it is! Love always finds a way to complicate mortals' lives! Look; since it doesn't distinguish between rich and poor and doesn't follow social's conventions…"

Inwardly, Karin was beaming. This conversation looked so promising!

Once more, Lust rolled his eyes and refilled his glass.

* * *

"I don't see why people would like to fall in love, anyway," Crowley stated, crossing his arms over his chest stubbornly, indicating the conversation was over "It's just screw their lives up."

Aziraphale looked affronted and about to start yelling, so Karin figured it was time to step in. "Do you remember Heaven, Crowley?"

The demon gazed at her, suddenly remembering they weren't alone, nor in Aziraphale's backstore. And this wasn't a drunken conversation like the ones they always had. This actually seemed to have a deeper meaning. "No. We're not supposed to." he pondered the question for a couple of seconds "Do you?" he questioned, with some hesitation.

"I wake up there everyday," the Fallen Angel explained calmly, earning a gentle nudge from her lover and making Aziraphale gasp dramatically "And that's why humans can spend their whole lives searching for love. They want to taste Heaven while in Earth."

"Now, that's corny." Crowley dead-panned.

"That's blasphemous, Karin!" Aziraphale exclaimed, scandalized.

She smiled secretively "And yet so very true, hon. So very true."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts anyone? I still believe that ending was somewhat cheesy... but I liked it! I used to be such a romantic...


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! I'm seriously considering from now on finishing writting a fic first, before I start publishing... works better, I think.   
> Good Omens and all characters related are property of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. And the song... well, I think you would recognize it; it's Queen's 'Somebody to love'.

"You just had to say that, didn't you?"

"Huh?"

Lust arched his eyebrows, leaning calmly against the kitchenette's counter and crossing his arms over his chest. Karin smiled somewhat bashfully. "Oh, you mean the Heaven's bit."

"As subtle as always, dear."

A soft chuckle, "Well, I had to give it a shot. And they took the bait, didn't they?"

The demon was clearly unimpressed. "We shouldn't intervene. It's none of our business," he saw she was about to protest and silenced her with a glare "Even if the order had been given, it would still be Crowley's job. Why would you want to make it easier for him?"

"Because I want to see Zira happy. And they obviously had a thing for each other. It has been going on since the Dawn of Times! Literally!"

"Still, I don't…"

_Each morning I get up I die a little/ Can barely stand on my feet_

The words died on his lips as they both stared at the sound system, which had started playing without any of them commanding it to do so. It could only mean one thing "Oh dear Lord…"

_GLAD TO HEAR YOU'RE USING HIS NAME IN VAIN, KARIN. QUITE A PROGRESS, I MUST SAY._

The female shaped demon gulped, while her companion made his way to the small living room and sank on the couch, his legs not having the strength to hold him. After a couple of seconds of hesitation, the brunette did the same.

_LOUIS? ARE YOU THERE?_

"Yes." he replied, as calmly as he could.

_YES, SIR. SHOW SOME RESPECT, LOUIS._  The demon rolled his eyes and decided not to dignify that with an answer. Karin squeezed his hand reassuringly. _REALLY, DEMONS THESE DAYS…_

_ANYWAY, WE HAVE NEW ORDERS FOR YOU, LOUIS._

He nodded. Then realized his speaker couldn't see him and replied "Yes. I'm listening."

_OH NO. THEY'RE RATHER DELICATE ORDERS. WE'RE SENDING SOMEONE TO SPEAK DIRECTLY TO YOU._  The speaker's tone was so smug and full of himself that it could only mean trouble.  _EXPECT DUKE HASTUR TOMORROW, BY 12 O'CLOCK._

The 'line' went dead, leaving the demons in deathly silence.

* * *

It wasn't something totally unheard of. Angels falling in love with demons, I mean. Although it was certainly rare, it had happened in the past. Four times actually, according to Crowley's count, if he was to trust the gossip that spread across the Circles of Hell.

All the four angels had Fallen and two of them had been dead within a week. Demons weren't particularly 'nice' to newcomers and Falling was something rather nasty. After all, there was no sort of thing as 'pity' in Hell.

One of them had survived on his own, though. And had gone pretty far; nowadays he was one of Hell's biggest. True, he was never too much of a proper angel, but still…

And then there was Karin. Whose particular case couldn't be properly explained by anyone, including Lust himself. She had Fallen on her own accord* and survived; not by herself but thanks to her lover and that made those two a very special case.

Because, you see, it was also a case of a demon falling in love with an angel.

Crowley had the horrible suspicion that would be his case, too.

If he made Aziraphale Fall.

But he wouldn't.

Right? Right.

Wrong.

______________________________________________

*No one Up There had actually said she was supposed to.

______________________________________________

_Each morning I get up I die a little/ Can barely stand on my feet/(Take a look at yourself) Take a look in the mirror and cry/ Lord what you're doing to me?_

Which song was this one again? He had never paid too much attention to it. Now that he was actually listening*, he found it… umm… well, hard to say. Not exactly blasphemous but… well, not proper either. Who would have thought there would be a Queen's song he truly liked?

_I have to spend all my years in believing you/ But I ju_ _st can't get no relief/ Lord_

Oh yes, he liked it already! Sounded quite promising!

_Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody)/ Can anybody find me somebody to love?_

Oh, forget it. He blessed loudly, due the Bentley's ability to always 'pick' the song which would upset and/or trouble him the most. He needed to get the Fallen Angel's words out of his head. He certainly didn't miss Heaven, so there was no reason for him to want to fall in love.

Right. So he needed nobody to find him somebody to love.

And he certainly hadn't found someone on his own.

____________________________________

*If only to prevent himself from actual  _thinking_.

 ____________________________________

_But I ju_ __st can't get no relief Lord/ Somebody (somebody) ooh somebody (somebody)/ Can anybody find me somebody to love?_ _

He had spent the last hour listening to same song over and over again. True, he absolutely despised it. Granted, had he been thinking straight, he would have skipped the 'mushy' song without a second thought.

However, tonight…

_I get down (down) on my knees (knees)/And I start to pray (praise the Lord)/ 'Til the tears run down from my eyes/ Lord somebody (somebody)_ _/ooh somebody (please)/ Can anybody find me somebody to love?_

Why had things got so complicated? Nothing was worth that much trouble.

Problem was… well, it wasn't a  _something_. It was a  _someone._  Still, was he worth it? Admittedly, once, long ago, he had lusted after the angel. True, then he started to care for him. And next thing he knew...

He never felt the need to name his relationship with Aziraphale. He was the Enemy that after many years of working 'side by side'*, had turned into something close to a friend. But certainly, not more than that.

_Got no feel I got no rhythm/I just keep losing my beat (you just keep losing and losing)/I'm OK/ I'm alright (he's alright)/I ain't gonna face no defeat_

He wasn't his type, for starters. I mean, come on! He was a little overweight, looked quite old, out fashioned, was too self-righteous, too well-behaved, bookish and, on top of that, a bloody angel, for Someone's sake!

Granted, he had the most divine blue eyes, and that charming smile that could melt ice and he looked so adorable when he had no clue what was going on… and he was so much fun to be around, even when they hadn't had the Agreement…

_I just gotta get out of this prison cell/One day I'm gonna be free/ Lord/ Find me somebody to love find me somebody to love/ Find me somebody t_ _o love/ find me somebody to love…_

Had somebody told him how tremendous amount of trouble would fall upon him if he spoke to the Guardian of the Eastern Gate, he wouldn't have. But Aziraphale had been so friendly back then, even though he had known what Crowley was! The minute they met, the demon knew the angel wasn't like the others.

He was especial. And that was why he immediately liked him.

Still… had the fondness turned into love?

_________________________________________________

*Well, actually, against the other. But let's not get into technical difficulties.

_________________________________________________

Aziraphale was used to Crowley's unexpected visits. However, he wasn't used to his unexpected visits in the middle of the night, so he couldn't help to feel a bit nervous about it.

The fact that Karin's 'blasphemous' statement kept playing inside his mind wasn't helping either.

"So… why are you here?"

"Am I interrupting something?"

"No, of course not. I was merely… umm… organizing my wardrobe."

Crowley arched an eyebrow, eying his companion curiously. The angel blushed "I hadn't had the time to see all the outfits Karin decided to buy for me," he shook his head "I absolutely had no idea what she was thinking…"

Unable to help himself, Crowley chuckled "Really? Let me take a look".

"I… umm…" the angel forced himself not to blush and nodded his head, although a bit unwillingly. "Very well. Follow me."

He made his way back to the small room over the store, that sometimes he called a bedroom but clearly wasn't. Against his better judgment, Crowley followed him, knowing a bit to well it wasn't a good idea. He had never been to the angel's bedroom, just as the other had never been at his. It was a far too intimate place…

He fought back a blush. Honestly, he was behaving like a child! He was a more than six thousand years old demon, for Someone's sake! Surely, he would be able to hush the silly voice inside his head that kept trying to convince him to throw himself into the angel's arms!

As expected, the room was cramped and barely furnished. Also very poorly decorated; Crowley had been right, Heaven had no taste. Still, it was very welcoming. And just like its owner, despite the 'unattractiveness', quite appealing.

"Want some tea?"

Wine would have suit him better, but he nodded anyway. He sat on the small bed* and waited, although for what, he wasn't entirely sure.

_______________________________________

*Rather a poor imitation of one, Crowley decided.

_______________________________________

Minutes merged into hours and at some point during the night, the tea turned into wine. Now Crowley was utterly drunk, while Aziraphale felt a bit tipsy. He hadn't been drinking as much as his companion, afraid of forgetting himself and doing something he would more likely regret.

Obviously, Crowley wasn't the only one having an internal conflict of interests.

"…do you think it's actually possible?"

"Huh?" he hadn't been paying attention to the demon's small talk. He had been pleasantly drifting away, merrily lost in his half-drunken stupor.

"You weren't listening," the other accused, with the cutest pout. Of course, if asked, Crowley would deny it, but he pouted quite a lot in the angel's presence "I asked if you believed it was possible for creatures like us," he pointed vaguely at themselves, to stress his words "to fall in love."

Oh, so it had been troubling him too. Aziraphale smiled gently, before nodding his head. "I would like to think so."

Crowley grunted and took another sip of wine, directly out of the bottle that he had appeared a few minutes ago. After that, he stared into nothingness, his thoughts obviously somewhere else. "Crowley?"

"Huh?"

"Would you like to?"

It was a vague question, yet the demon knew exactly what the other meant. He stood up and walked towards the angel, or rather, stumbled towards him. Aziraphale watched him in stiff silence and didn't dare move.

He kneeled in front of the angel's seat, so that they were at the same eye-level. A tense silence followed. Slowly, Crowley brought his face closer to his friend's, never breaking eye-contact. "I think I've already had."

The briefest brush of lips.

The biggest of meanings.

The deadliest of silences.

And before Aziraphale had the chance to do, say or even think something, Crowley had fled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts? Thanks for reading, by the way!


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a new chapter! A million thanks to everyone who has readed, left a comment and/or kudos!

If the number of bottles scattered across the flat's floor was any indication, Karin was willing to bet the owner had passed out of drunkenness. Sighing, the female shaped demon made her way to the bedroom and opened the door without any hesitation. She immediately decided to stop breathing, thankful that she didn't actually need air, since the whole place reeked of alcohol.

It wasn't surprising, considering once again the number of bottles around the place. Bottles of wine, beer, whisky, vodka and some other drinks that the female didn't want to speculate about. Oh, how great! Crowley had picked the worst possibly day to get utterly smashed!

The male shaped demon was lying on the bed, in a position that couldn't possibly be any more uncomfortable but he surely didn't even notice. Another sigh.

"Crowley. Crowley." she whispered against his ear and the demon mumbled something that sounded suspiciously like 'five more minutes'. Karin gazed at her watch and decided they didn't have five more minutes. Time to get a bit more ruthless, then!

Snapping her fingers, the girl made a bucket of cold water appear over Crowley's head. Another snap of her fingers and the demon was soon showered with icy-cold water, making him stand up, blessing loudly in every language ever known to man.

"Sorry dear" she said when he stopped his furious rambling "but we need to leave right away"

He stared at her, as if he hadn't understood her "What are you doing here, Karin?"

"Picking you up" she stated calmly "your presence is required in a meeting."

"I'm not in the mood for this" whispered the other and with a vague movement of his hand, his wet clothes were changed into dry ones, as well as his bed sheets. Once again, he lay over the bed and closed his eyes, firmly determined to go back to sleep.

"But Crowley…!" she argued, standing next to him once again "we're in a bit of a rush, actually!"

He muttered something and placed a pillow over his head, clearly trying to block out her words "Crowley!" she chided, trying to push him out of bed "we don't have time for this!"

"Go away" he protested and Karin huffed. Then, she glanced at her watch once again. Quarter to twelve. Oh, they really didn't have time for this!

"Stop acting like a child!" she exclaimed and finally succeeded in pushing him out of bed "You're coming with me, even if I have to drag you!"

* * *

Karin would admit it wasn't one of her best ideas. But she was running out of them and time was running short, too. Dragging Crowley wasn't an easy task and the demon was determined to not doing it easier for her.

She paused at the apartments block front door and smiled at the doorman, who was watching her curiously. Taking a deep breath, she resumed her task, blessing every now and then, making her companion chuckle "Laugh now, Crowley. We'll see who laughs last."

"What's the rush, anyway?" he asked, a bit more awake now but still refusing to walk on his own "It's too early"

"As I said, we have a meeting!"

"With whom?" the other asked, uninterested, lazily gazing around.

"I can't tell you" she said and it was the truth. It would be far easier if she just told him who had came to pay them a visit but stupid people Down There had decided to hold her tongue! "But we'll be in trouble if you don't show up"

"My head hurts" the demon complained, once she dropped him at the passenger's seat "and I like your car"

"I thought you would" she whispered, turning the engine on "It's the newest Bentley's model. And you should have sobered up, before going to sleep"

"Ah, but what would have been the point of getting smashed, then?" he asked conversationally, leaning against the car's seat "I tried sobering up a couple of times. After realizing I kept worrying over that stupid mistake over and over again, I chose to stay drunk"

"Which stupid mistake?"

He eyed her carefully. Then sighed,"Guess he didn't call, then."

"Huh?"

"Well, being his 'shoulder to cry on' I figured that Aziraphale would have run to you. Since he didn't…"

"What did you do?" Karin asked, willing the traffic to disappear and not really paying attention. Her whole focus was in making back to her apartment in time.

"I… I sorta… umm… kissed him"

"WHAT?!"

"Watch where you're going! You'll discorporate us!" he yelled, since she almost ran into a traffic light. Karin didn't even notice.

"You did what?!"

"It's your fault, really" he defended himself, making a new bottle of wine appear out of nowhere "You and your statement about Heaven and love and all that…"

They had taken the bait, indeed! At the worst time possible, too. The brunette sighed "What did Zira say?"

"Don't know" he was drinking directly out of the bottle and the female demon realized he was about to get inebriated once again. Great! Just marvelous!* "Had to run away after that"

"And you thought getting drunk was the best solution?"

"Do you have a better one?"

"You could have talked…"

Crowley huffed "Women! They always want to talk about their feelings!" another huff "Honestly, what was Louis thinking when he decided to stay with you?"

She could have made a snide remark but chose not to, seeing they had arrived at her place and they had more pressing matters to attend to.

Discussing their respective relationships would have to wait.

_____________________________________________________________

*Please, do notice the sarcasm.

______________________________________________________________

"He's late"

"You know how he is"

"Exactly" Hastur stood up and started pacing around the living room. Lust watched him in silence, silently hoping that Karin would hurry up. After all, the Deadly Sin didn't enjoy the Duke's company too much… "How's your inspection going?"

"Fine, I believe. We're just…"

"You know why I'm here"

It was a statement, not a question but he answered anyway "I have a slight suspicion"

The Duke smirked and sat once again, with elegance uncommon for him "A slight suspicion, huh? Care to share?"

"Not really" the other responded, staying as collected as possible but getting admittedly a bit worried. Louis was a high-ranked demon, but Hastur was higher-ranked and, if he wanted, he could land him in an awful lot of trouble.

His companion offered him a smug smirk, while crossing his legs "If you want my opinion, they're getting through a whole bunch of trouble just to get an angel to Fall. We both know it's quite easy…" his smirk went wider while Lust struggled to remain indifferent "Then again, some of us are better at it than others…"

Remember the two first Fallen angels who had died within the week? Well, that was the demon who made them fall in the first place.

The Deadly Sin kept quiet, briefly wondering if actual praying could hurt demons. He was willing to give it a shot, seeing how desperate his situation was getting "As I see it, sending you wasn't a good idea. Your Fallen angel is quite klutz, actually"

"Don't think Crowley's gonna do much better" he immediately regretted his words. Stupid, stupid! Now they were officially damned! He blessed under his breath while the other smirked conceitedly.

Just then, they heard someone cursing loudly in the hallway. Both recognized the speaker's voice and Lust couldn't help to get worked up. Something wasn't just right…

"Cursing instead of blessing. So very wrong…" Hastur whispered evilly but his companion said nothing. He was too nervous to pay him any mind.

"Crowley, sober up right now!" Karin exclaimed, pushing the door open. Unfortunately, they couldn't see the pair standing at the living room, due the door stood in their way now.

"What'sss the point, anyway?" the other demon was hissing, clearly drunk "I jusst don't sssee…"

"Hi there, Crawly"

It took a couple of seconds for Crowley's inebriated brain to process the greeting and realize who was talking to him. It took another pair of seconds for his brain to send the order to sober up and a couple more for him to be standing on his own, looking serious though certainly anxious "Hastur" he whispered darkly.

The Duke smirked some more, while standing up very slowly. Lust stood up too, quietly wondering what would happen next and what should he do about it "All hail Satan" the highest-ranked demon said calmly, as it was the expected greeting demons always say.

"All hail Satan" echoed the Deadly Sin behind him, knowing full well it wasn't smart not to do so and also knowing that both Karin and Crowley weren't going to repeat it.

Indeed, they didn't. Crowley crossed his arms over his chest, looking defiant while Karin silently stood behind him, looking a tad scared. Hastur arched his eyebrows and gave Lust a look that clearly said, 'you're doing a very lousy job' before glaring at Crowley "Well then, let's get down to business, shall we?"

Crowley made his way to the living room, looking surprisingly collected. No wonder he had the courage to shower one of the Dukes with Holy Water, then. Hastur kept glaring darkly at him and for a second, Louis and Karin were sure Hell was about to break loose in their living room, but after a small glares' contest, both demons took seat in front of each other.

Meanwhile, Karin hurried towards the kitchen, deciding to busy herself with coffee instead of seating with the other demons. Inwardly, Louis smiled. It was far safer that way.

"So" Crowley said, looking a bit too cocky for his own sake.

"Don't get arrogant with me" Hastur whispered in a tone that promised a horrifically painful eternity. Lust sent a warning look in Crowley's direction, since he rather liked his head where it was, thank you very much.

"Let's just hear the orders, Hastur" the Deadly Sin said, supposing it would be better if he was the one doing the actual talking.

"Ah. Yes. The orders indeed" Hastur's smirk was so wide and downright-evil that could have made the most sadistic serial killer in the whole world shiver.

It definitely meant trouble for Crowley.

And so, the demon waited to hear the orders he had been expecting since his first meeting with his new 'Supervisor'.

* * *

Once the message had been conveyed, Hastur leaned against his seat and waited for Crowley's reaction, clearly enjoying the moment. During his whole speech he had watched the lower-ranked demon's face going from slightly worried to seriously distraught. The way Crowley kept nervously biting his lower lip while unintentionally tapping his feet told Hastur exactly how troubled the other was. Oh, and he sure was enjoying it!

After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.

Crowley had been expecting the orders; Lust had given him a fair warning. In all truth, he had known it would happen, sooner or later. It was bound to happen; an angel and a demon friendship wasn't something that would go unnoticed for long and obviously, once noted, it was to be stopped. In the most painful way, too.

If he was to make Aziraphale Fall…

"How long?" Karin asked, suddenly reappearing.

"How long what?" Hastur questioned, staring at her with arched eyebrows.

"How long does he have to make Zira Fall?" she sat next to her lover, looking less frighten now but still placing some distance between herself and the Duke.

Hastur smirked, looking even smugger "Two days"

"WHAT?!" the other three demons exclaimed, all deeply worried although for different reasons: Lust because he was sure it wouldn't be done in time, Crowley because he really didn't want to complete the task and didn't think he would able to figure a way around it in so little time and Karin… well…

"But that can't be!" she protested, standing up "There's no way he'll get it done in time! Angels need to be romanced, you know!"

Hastur arched his eyebrows amusedly "Oh, really?"

Karin groaned and sat down once again "Listen; I know Zira. I dated him once, for Someone's sake! He likes moonlight-walks and nice candlelight dinners and all sort of corny stuff! Crowley won't lure him to bed without all that!"

Crowley stared at her, startled by the dating bit*. Lust rolled his eyes, wondering how smart arguing with a Duke was and guessing it really wasn't.

Hastur gazed at Crowley and seemed to ponder his options. Finally, he sighed with false resignation "Okay. Two weeks then"

"But…!" the brunette tried arguing once more, earning a very dark glare from the Duke.

"I said two weeks. I'm being more than generous, right? After all, the four of us know that Crawly here has been romancing his little angelic friend since the Dawn of the Times" he offered them another dark and evil smirk, while standing up, clearly deciding the conversation was over.

"And if I don't?" Crowley suddenly asked when the Duke was at the door. The addressed demon smirked some more "Do you really want me to answer that?"

And with one last threatening look, Hastur was gone.

______________________________________________________

*And fighting back a blush because of the bed bit.

_______________________________________________________

"Well, that went better than I expected."

Lust was being serious but the other two demons thought he was being sarcastic. He rolled his eyes; they had so much left to learn… "Anyway; what are you gonna do now, Crowley?"

"I'm not sure" he whispered, looking very deep in thought "I have to figure a way out of this mess"

"Oh, no no no" the Deadly Sin exclaimed, not pleased by the idea of defying the orders "None of that. You'll do as you were told; I'll rather live a little longer, thank you very much"

"I can't!" the demon protested airily "I can't do that to Aziraphale! I…"

"I think I'll better leave you for a while" Karin stated suddenly, standing by the door "I'm… gonna go shopping or something. To relax, you know."

Lust rolled his eyes once again and nodded his head. Then, he placed a hand over Crowley's shoulder and sat next to him "Now, you listen; we can do this in time, if you follow my advice. First, you have to…"

Crowley listen attentively although not entirely willingly. Then again, it's not everyday that you get 'seducing tips' from an expert as Lust itself, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I edited this chapter... and then my internet browser stoped working. So this is going unedited, at least for now since I don't feel like doing it all over again...  
> Thanks for reading!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yet another chapter...

The first thing you would notice if you entered a particular Soho's bookstore, on that particular morning, was that the owner looked seriously distressed. It might be the ruffled hair, the wrinkled clothes or the red eyes caused by sleep depravation. Either way, Aziraphale was the perfect picture of a disturbed man.

Crowley's words rang on his head, refusing to give him a single moment of peace. 'I think I've already had'. What did that mean, exactly? Well, he knew what it meant. He wasn't stupid or naïve enough not to see the whole meaning behind those five words. But oh God, how much he wished he was!

Sighing, the angel stared at the cocoa mug still sitting over the counter, going cold. It gave him a feeling of déjà-vu. After all, just before the Apocalypse-that-wasn't he had spent countless hours at his shop, with a cocoa cup going cold. Only that this time the world wasn't about to end. Or maybe it was, in a way. If he was to Fall…

No, but he wasn't. He couldn't, never mind what he felt towards Crowley or what the demon felt towards him. Because they weren't really in love, you see, it was simply impossible. It wasn't love. It couldn't be love. Demons don't love and angels love everything and everyone; they can't love something or someone above other things or creatures.

But -and that was the problem, wasn't it? - that there was a but. That he could think of thousands of buts, as the matter of the fact. He had said the night before he believed creatures like them could truly fall in love. Give or take a few words, he had said so. Had he been lying?

By mere logic, he hadn't. Because he was an angel and angels didn't lie. Then again, angels didn't fall in love -especially not with demons- either. However…

Oh, why was it so confusing?!

He heard the door opening and the bell over it ringing. Slowly, he turned around, afraid of facing the newcomer. Yet, as soon as he saw who was standing by the door, he relaxed."Morning Karin" he greeted, surprising himself by the steadiness of his voice.

"Morning, sugar pie." She replied back, closing the door with her heel and staring at her friend up and down, "rough evening?"

Not even knowing why, Aziraphale blushed. She offered him a knowing and understanding smile, though admittedly a sad one too. "This cocoa is ruined," she pointed out, picking the mug still resting over the counter. "Come on, I'll prepare some more." And with that, she made her way to the back store, as if she was the owner of the place and the angel was a guest. He realized he didn't mind.

So, eager to distract himself from his inner turmoil, he followed her.

* * *

"I… need to ask you something."

Karin sighed, finally hearing what she had been waiting for all along. Two hours had passed since her arrival and she was starting to wonder how much longer Aziraphale would last making mindless chitchat.

Apparently, now they were going to get down to business.

"Just say it."

"I… umm..." the angel bit down his lip and he looked around, as if ashamed of himself. Which might have been the case; problem with angels, Karin thought, was that they were taught to love everyone and everything but when it came down to actually handing their hearts… they always assumed it was wrong.

And maybe it was. "Maybe you're not supposed to love Crowley. But," he was looking at her and he looked so scared! Like a deer caught in the headlights, with nowhere to run. The look of pure and simple terror. "Don't think for a minute it's wrong what you're feeling."

"Does that make any sense? At all?"

No, she wasn't making too much sense. Not even to herself. "Love is to be treasured, Zira. Maybe angels aren't supposed to fall in love with demons, but if they do, what's wrong with that?"

"There must be something wrong."

The whole conversation had sense of déjà-vu but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Inwardly, Karin was smiling. She knew exactly what memory was fighting its way from Zira's subconscious to his conscious mind. For better or for worse, she had seen the beginning of what she thought was the most dramatic yet sweet love-story of the world.

"Anyway… even if there's nothing wrong with it, I'm not in love with Crowley, nor the other way around."

Incapable of helping herself, Karin hit her head against the back of the couch, with a frustrated groan. Honestly, one could only live with so much denial. "Oh, really?" the tone was more ironic than intended, though she didn't truly mind. Hopefully, it would help to get her words through Zira's thick skull.

"Really," he replied calmly, completely missing the tone. "For starters, I'm not even his type. Or he's mine," as if that had something to do with love. The emotion always found its way around people's standards, didn't it? "Secondly, we're too different." No, they were different in things that didn't matter. They had similar points of view, actually. "He's a demon and I'm an angel," but that was just their jobs; it didn't say a thing about who they truly were. "Ideally, we wouldn't have chosen the other's company." That was too much for the female shaped demon and she had to snort. "What?"

"You wouldn't have chosen the other's company?" she repeated, her eyebrows arched. "Well then, please tell me if this conversation sounds remotely familiar," she cleared her throat, preparing herself to make a big interpretation. With fake and mock concern, she exclaimed "Zira, what do you think you're doing?!"

She changed her tone, to a slightly deeper and more masculine one."'Whatever you mean, my dear?'

'That… that creature you were talking too! Do you know…?'

'Crawly, you mean? Oh, he's just…'

'A demon! A demon, Zira, one of the Enemies! The one who managed to get the first couple kicked out of Eden, actually! Have you lost your mind?'

'Of course not, dear. He's quite nice actually. I think I rather enjoy talking to him.'

'But Zira…!'

'Don't you worry your pretty head about it, Karin. Trust me, I know what I'm doing.'"

She ended her interpretation, with a wide smug smirk. He frowned; he did remember that conversation, now that she mentioned it. But it hardly proved anything…!

"I… we just… I mean…"

"Save your lame excuses for someone who might actually believe them." She protested, the smugness evident on her voice "I'm not buying it."

Aziraphale decided it would be safer to stay quiet and did exactly that. No use in arguing with the demon when she was absolutely confident she was right. It just wouldn't end up pleasantly.

Tense silence followed, while the angel reflected on his friend's words. Maybe she was right. If that was the case, there was just something left to ask. "Was it worth it?"

"The Falling, you mean?" a stiff and yet nervous nod. She smiled, "I go to sleep asking myself that same question every night. Most times, the answer is yes."

"Most times?" it was her turn to nod stiffly and nervously. "You said you woke up in Heaven everyday."

"And it's true. When I open my eyes and see Louis gazing at me- he's always up before I am- I believe I'm in Heaven. You've never tried sleeping, right? You should. You'll see that, when you wake up, previous night's problems have miraculously disappeared. They came back after a while, naturally, but the moment you open your eyes… you just don't remember them."

"I don't think I'm following you…"

And he truly seemed confused. The girl sighed and tried to reorganize her thoughts. She needed to be as clear as possible; she needed Aziraphale to understand… No, to see. "We get into fights, as every other couple in the world. We argue, we bicker, we say very unpleasant things to each other … so yes, sometimes we go to sleep being angry at the other; wishing to never have met, or, in my case, to never have followed him around. But the anger fades and what's left… what is always left, is the absolute certainty that we're in love. So, most times, I definitely think it was worth it."

Aziraphale nodded. He could understand that. No couple was perfect, of course; arguments were bound to arise because two people couldn't think and act the same way, differences always exist. Yet, would he and Crowley…?

As if she could read her mind, she added. "You've been together for six millennia. Not… in a couple-way, but together nevertheless. You even have an Agreement, despite it's clearly forbidden by both sides. You survived the Apocalypse and faced Beelzebub and the Metraton and were even willing to face Satan himself together. Do you honestly believe there's something that could break you apart?"

The sincere answer was no. Perhaps that was why it was so disturbing and scary.

Just then, the bell over the store's door rang and Aziraphale froze. Oh no, not yet, please! He had most of his feelings figured out but wasn't ready to…

"Aziraphale? Are you in here?"

Well, ready or not, here went nothing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's super short, I know! Thanks for reading!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! A million thanks to everyone who's reading and to everyone who has left kudos and comments!! They make me so happy!

Roses. The biggest rose's bouquet ever, as the matter of the fact. Good thing they were white and pink roses, otherwise it might have been too clichéd for his liking. Nevertheless…

"Eh, Crowley? What are those?"

"Roses."

"I know that. I meant…"

"A peace offering. I shouldn't have done what I did last night." That sounded good. Close enough to an apology to please the angel and yet not quite one, so no damage done to his demonic pride.

"Oh. I see." Yes, the smartest reply ever, naturally. Surely, only an erudite as himself could produce such an insightful and clever response.

"Well, now that we're over that," Crowley said smugly, practically shoving the flowers into the angel's arms. "We can go out for lunch."

Not exactly what he had been expecting. However, Aziraphale repressed his urge to roll his eyes and was about to say he couldn't because he had visitors, when from the corner of his eye he caught Karin gesturing widely for him to go with the demon. And that wasn't exactly what he wanted to do either but… "O-okay."

"Great. Come on." Crowley, who hadn't noticed they had company, turned around and headed towards the door. His companion sighed. "Just… let me put these on water or something."

The demon nodded his head and continued his way to the door, not bothering to look back. Once again, the other sighed.

"Well… I'm going." Aziraphale whispered, once he was in the backstore. Karin smiled and took the flowers. "I'll… see you around, I gues.s"

"Or not. I doubt you'll have any energy left when he's done with you," replied the brunette, winking and making him blush. "Don't worry dear. You'll be fine."

He hoped so. He truly hoped so.

* * *

It was a small and cozy restaurant. And it looked somewhat too intimate. The sort of place where couples go to talk in hushed whispers and kiss… a lot. So no, definitely the sort of place where they would usually go.

"Why are we here?"

"You don't like it?"

"It's not that. It's just…"

"I figured we should go somewhere else, for a change. I'm getting a bit bored of having lunch at the Ritz everyday, actually." Not quite. Then again, he needed to keep with the façade, didn't he?

"Oh. Alright then." Aziraphale opened the menu and decided to go for a sandwich. After all, chances of a sandwich going wrong were very slim…

"May I offer you something to drink?" the waitress asked, approaching them after a couple of minutes.

"A lemonade," Crowley replied and Aziraphale arched his eyebrows. "The same for my companion," the waitress nodded and headed towards the kitchen.

"Since when do we have lunch without any sort of alcoholic beverage?"

"I still have a bit of a hangover, to tell you the truth," the demon replied calmly, leaning against the seat's back.

"We didn't drink that much last night," the angel argued and then blushed profusely, remembering how 'last night' had ended. "Eh… I mean…"

Crowley shrugged. "Speak for yourself," he said with a sly grin. "Anyway, can we speak about something that has nothing to do with last night?"

And, ignoring the gigantic elephant in the room, they started making small talk.

* * *

The restaurant was small, but it was also a bar at nighttime. Around 6 o'clock, most of the older customers left and the place was filled with youngsters, most of them not a day older than 20.

Aziraphale and Crowley were still sitting at their table, their lemonades long gone and now replaced by some cheap wine that they have changed into a far better one. They were surrounded by younger people, but they didn't mind, too engrossed in their own random chit-chat to even notice.

However, someone did notice them. A handsome young man sitting at the bar. He was rather tall and slim, with gorgeous olive skin, bright hazel eyes and silky dark curls. Truly, a Heavenly sight.

Or rather a Hellish one. In all honesty, Hastur was quite pleased with his human appearance. It was one of the benefits of being a demon; most of them had really 'hot' human's bodies. He didn't use it very often though, he felt far more comfortable with his regular appearance. This one, however, had its perks.

One of them being that nor Crowley nor his angelic friend would recognize him. And that was good, because it gave him the chance of spying on them closely. He smirked, watching the angel up and down. He wasn't really a looker, in Hastur's opinion, but that didn't matter. What did matter were the lots of fun he would be providing the Duke once he Fell…

He liked his lips. Indeed, lots of fun he would be having with Crowley's little angel. It would be the perfect revenge: he knew Crowley well enough to see he truly cared for the angel and that it would hurt him horribly to see his 'friend' in pain.

Although people Down There were pissed at Crowley's participation during the Apocalypse-that-wasn't, it had been ordered to leave the demon alone. Of course, the Duke hadn't been pleased. Then, it had occurred to him that he didn't need to directly attack the lower-ranked demon; he only had to find his weak-spot.

Another cruel smirk. And then was when he remembered: when he had been trapped inside the tape, a message had kept him company. An angel's message. And after going through Crowley's reports, you didn't have to be a genius to put two and two together. After that, all he needed to do was to 'suggest' to his Superiors a task to test Crowley's loyalty.

Oh yes, he would have his revenge. And how much fun would it be!

A soft guttural chuckle escaped his lips and he looked around, a little concerned to be drawing too much attention. Again, he smirked. Indeed, he was attracting attention but not due his odd behavior. He was getting a lot of female's attention, as the matter of the fact.

Oh well, he guessed he could have a little fun now, while he waited for the little angel to Fall.

* * *

"Have you noticed that recently we've been spending more time together?"

"You think so?" Crowley took a sip of his glass, while he contemplated his friend's statement. "Well, I guess so. Then again, we tried to avert the Apocalypse together and we survived it. I believe that's the sort of stuff that brings people closer."

Aziraphale laughed. "Yes, maybe. It's not like it has happened a hundred times before."

It was Crowley's turn to laugh while he poured more wine into his and his companion's glass. "Well, cheers then. For the Apocalypse which brought us closer!"

Both laughed at that and almost choked with their respective drinks. They weren't exactly drunk* but they were a bit giddy. Suddenly, Aziraphale looked serious and bit his bottom lip. "Something wrong, angel?"

"Oh, no. It's nothing."

"Are you sure?"

"It's just… well, I was thinking that perhaps… it brought us too close."

Crowley sighed dramatically and placed a hand over the angel's which was conveniently placed over the table. "I thought we were going to 'forget' about last night?"

"Right. I'm sorry."

Crowley arched an eyebrow and shook his head lightly "Don't apologize so much, angel" he leaned in and crossed his arms over the table. "If I can be brutally honest… I don't regret what I said last night. Nor do I regret what I did."

Too much for not speaking about last night. The blond stared into the other's eyes, looking for something… although for what, he wasn't exactly sure.

___________________________________________________

*Because they had been sobering up a little every twenty minutes or so.

____________________________________________________

Two hours later, Crowley dropped Aziraphale at his bookstore. After the small 'confession', they had once again ignored the elephant in the room. The angel wasn't ready to name what he felt after those sort of confessions and he would much rather not speak about it. Crowley, on the other hand…

He smirked happily to himself. He would admit that the idea of flowers was just too damn corny for his liking, but Louis had been right. Angels did like those sorts of things, even if they didn't acknowledge it.

As for the dinner part… well, he had had to improvise. Louis of course had had a few suggestions but after some mussing over it, the demon decided to go without them. The Deadly Sin was far too outdated with his seducing techniques, if you wanted his opinion. Then again, he guessed, that's the sort of thing that happens when you decide to settle down.

He shivered, although it was more because it seemed like the proper thing to do than for he truly felt repelled by the idea. By his demonic nature, he was supposed to despise the idea of spending his life by someone's side. However, he had already spent a good amount of his time with the angel. Granted, for the first five millennia they hadn't been officially on speaking terms but then again…

He ought to stop that line of thought right then. It wasn't safe. He was a demon on a mission and he would not let his mind wander down those paths. He was going to make Aziraphale Fall. And if in order to archive that he had to pretend* he was in love with him…

Well, that was exactly what he would do.

______________________________________________________

*And by this point he had completely convinced himself that he was, indeed, pretending.

______________________________________________________

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... what did you think? Thanks for reading!


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And finally another chapter... Since I have a new boss and he's... well, let's say he's mean, I'm not sure how often I'll get to update from now on...

When Karin walked into her apartment she couldn't help to arch an eyebrow and stand motionlessly at the door. The lights had been tuned down and soft music was playing somewhere in the background. Guessing Louis was having one of his rare and over-corny moments, she sighed and entered the room.

"Honey, I'm home!" she exclaimed, hoping to ruin the mood by the silly greeting that she knew her lover hated. Not that she didn't appreciate the demon's tries to be romantic but most of the time he was too…

Well, too outdated.

"Hello darling. How did everything go?"

She couldn't see him and that couldn't possibly be good. Again, the female-shaped demon sighed. "The shopping, you mean? I found nothing. I'm afraid I…"

"You know perfectly well what I meant," Louis had appeared out of nowhere and was now cornering her against the door. "Do not play games with me, angel dear."

"Whatever you mean, hon?"

"You went to Aziraphale's." She opened her mouth to protest but he interrupted her. "Don't try to deny it. And I really don't mind. I mean, I don't think you would be stupid enough to tell him what's going on, right?"

"Of course not," she shrugged. "I was just… checking something"

"Huh? And what would that be?"

"Anyway," she deliberately avoided the question and managed to free herself from the other demon's grasp. "While I was there, Crowley dropped by. Guess what he brought little Aziraphale?"

"Flowers."

"Flowers indeed!" she rolled her eyes and smirked. "Honestly dear, roses? How much clichéd can you get?"

"Oh, you know your lot like them." Once again, the girl tried to protest,"I mean… well, you know what I meant. And besides, it's all part of my ingenious 3-steps Master Plan."

"What?" she was seriously confused and did not bother to hide it. Sometimes she really didn't know what the heck was he talking about.

"It's simple, my dear." He replied smugly, "it's a simple formula that has been working since the beginning of the times. Everyone falls for it."

"Oh? Please enlighten me, Louis. For I have never heard of this marvelous technique of yours."

The Deadly Sin smirked and made a roses bouquet appear out of thin air.  "First step, flowers." She took the roses and eyed him amusedly. "Second step, romantic dinner," with a snap of his fingers, a wonderful dinner materialized in the dinning room, along with candles to add a romantic atmosphere. Karin just cocked an eyebrow. "And for the final step…" he grinned manically and snapped his fingers once again; this time the bedroom's light turned on, illuminating a somehow very tempting looking bed. "Bed"

The brunette laughed merrily. "Right. And you say it works every time?"

"Every time indeed, my love."

A soft giggle. "Well, sorry to disappoint you dear but, while this technique of yours might work with me, I somehow doubt it would work with Zira. And if Crowley's not careful, it would have the exact opposite effect, as the matter of the fact."

"Trust me; it'll work."

"Why are you so sure?"

Lust smirked. "My darling, I'm Lust itself, remember? I know all about this sort of thing."

* * *

By the time Crowley arrived home, it was close to midnight. He had been driving around the city, trying to ease his mind. Sure, he had convinced himself he was just pretending to love Aziraphale but he still didn't want to make him Fall. Because it was against the Agreement, he kept telling himself. And since he had already had this discussion with himself, he refused to revaluate his views.

So, in order for his friend to keep being an angel and for him to keep his head over his neck, he needed to find a loophole.

Only that it didn't seem to exist.

He groaned, frustrated and decided to open a bottle of wine. Seeing how things had ended last time he had gotten drunk in his apartment, maybe it wasn't such a good idea. Then again, demons aren't normally known for their good sense, so he just went ahead with it.

And if such loophole didn't exist… well, they were damned. Literally. There was no way out of it; either he made Aziraphale Fall or he lost his head. It's not necessary to say that he wasn't very fond of either option.

No sense in worrying, though. He would think of something, most likely. If there was a way out, he would figure it out eventually.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be too late.

* * *

Crowley somehow doubted that Lust's 3-steps Master Plan would work for him. If he tried luring Aziraphale into bed after just one rose's bouquet and a nice 'romantic' supper, the angel would suspect something was wrong and most likely, he would run away. And he couldn't have that, could he?

For the next two weeks, he would have to behave as decently and nicely as possible. Just create a little havoc now and then, to prevent Aziraphale from getting too suspicious but nothing too big to get the angel real angry at him. He just didn't have the time to get him to forgive him.

Now, back to his plan. Roses-Dinner-Bed. He would stick to the general idea, but with some minor modifications. He would have to add get utterly wasted to the formula. Oh yes, that sounded delightful…

Like a perfect gentleman, he knocked on the shop's door and waited for an answer, while he hid another perfect flowers' bouquet behind his back. Normally, he would have strolled into the shop, yet his mission called for a change of behavior, didn't it?

"I'm sorry, we're clo… Crowley!" Aziraphale had opened the door and was now staring at him wide eyed. "What are you doing here so early, dear?"

In fact, it was only eight o'clock in the morning. And despite the fact that the demon liked to get up really late, he thought it would be appropriate to join Aziraphale for breakfast; undoubtedly the poor dear would miss his company and what kind of 'suitor' would he be, if he left the angel alone for so long?

"I'm having breakfast with you," he announced calmly, offering him the newest bouquet. The angel blushed as he took the flowers and then rewarded his friend with careful consideration.

"O-okay. I guess that's alright." He stepped aside, letting the demon in, "may I ask why you brought me flowers once again?"

"It's impolite to show at someone's place without bringing something, huh?"

"I never knew you cared for such pleasantries," the other proclaimed, smiling gently."This is very un-you, if I might add. I'm touched, though."

"Get used to," Crowley stated, inwardly smirking. "Things are about to change, angel."

For some reason, those words gave Aziraphale a lovely warm feeling inside.

* * *

He ought to suspect something. For Someone's Sake, he couldn't be that oblivious! How could he trust him so much? Didn't he know what he was? Why? WHY? And why did he care, anyway?

It made his job far easier, after all. If Aziraphale suspected nothing, he had a good chance of succeeding. He didn't have to worry about being to obvious; he could carry on with his plan perfectly and with the conviction that no difficulties would arise.

But…

He stole a glance in the angel's direction and had to look away immediately, finding almost impossible to gaze at those bright trusting eyes without feeling like a complete jerk."Is everything alright, dear?" asked Aziraphale, concern written all over his face. In his opinion, after breakfast, Crowley had been unusually quiet. He hadn't even protested when the angel proposed they took a walk in the park! Something was definitely off and he couldn't help to worry.

"I'm fine," the other protested, rather angrily. It disturbed him deeply that the angel cared so much for him. He shouldn't. They ought not to be in speaking terms, as the matter of the fact and yet… "Angel, do you trust me?"

The Principality stopped on his tracks and looked at him in pure bewilderment. "What kind of question is that? Of course I trust you, Crowley."

"Why?"

"Whatever you mean?"

"For Someone's Sake, angel! I'm a demon! How can you trust me so easily?!"

"So easily?" he asked, rather amused by the demon's sudden outburst. "My dear boy, it hasn't been easy. But after six millennia of knowing you, you've earned my trust."

"How can you be so sure it's not just a trick?"

"Well… I can't." The angel replied calmly, placing his hands over Crowley's shoulders in a comforting manner that did nothing but trouble the demon further. "Sometimes you just have to take the risk. You know what they say; nothing risked, nothing gained," he smiled gently. "And anyway, why would you want to keep the façade for so long? Excuse me dear, but we both know you're not that patient."

Crowley forced a smile and the angel took it for a sincere one, so he continued his pacific walk. His companion followed him closely, tormented by his previous words.

Who would have thought? A demon with a conscience.

That's the sort of thing you don't see every day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? Worth the wait?  
> Thanks for reading!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, before my boss goes crazy again... have a new chapter!! LOL

It was a lovely morning.

The sort of morning that just demands you to take a walk on the park. Or to go outside. Never mind the destination, the important thing is that you don't stay inside.

Therefore, Aziraphale had decided to honor the day's request and was now heading towards St. James Park. He was being 'escorted' by a very unwilling demon that would much rather be having lunch instead of feeding the ducks at the park. Nevertheless, Crowley had figured that in order to 'woo' the angel, he needed to keep him pleased.

Which was proving to be more and more difficult with each passing day.

He didn't know what else to do, since he had tried everything: flowers, romantic lunch set ups, chocolates, candle-light dinners… And still nothing. He didn't want to be the one bringing up the topic of whether or not they had more than friendship feelings for each other, but time was running short and if things continued this way…

Well, he would have run out of options.

He stole a glance in Aziraphale's direction and managed to suppress a sigh. If the angel wasn't going to make a move, he would have to take matters into his own hands. It was time to get serious.

So he decided that as soon as he was back at his apartment, he would start working on the next day's perfect romantic dinner.

* * *

Hastur was getting bored watching those two lovebirds being completely oblivious. It was clear to him that both were mad about each other and it was precisely that much sweetness what was driving him insane. Either they speeded things up on their own…

Or he would be speeding them up for them. After all, he was a Hell's Duke, so inciting some lust in those two couldn't be that difficult. It would be far easier if he got Louis to collaborate but he somehow doubted the Deadly Sin would like to get involved. Either way, he was sure to succeed.

He sighed as he plopped on a park's bench. From that point, he could watch the demon and the angel quite well, without being seen. Then again, none of them could recognize him even if they saw him...

He figured he would spy on them for a little longer. Then he would go for a much needed drink.

* * *

"So… how is it going?"

"Umm… fairly well, I would say."

"Is that so?"

Louis kept staring at the demon in front of him. They hadn't seen each other in a week and he had hoped for a bigger progress. After all, Aziraphale and Crowley clearly had a thing for each other. And Karin's bold statements had undoubtedly put some questions in the angel's head, so why the heck…?

"I don't wanna do it."

Oh, so that was it. He sighed but nodded his head. He had expected that. After a whole week of being unable to contact or trace the other demon, he had half expected such news.

Not that he liked them. But at least he had been prepared and therefore he had a speech ready for this situation. "Listen Crowley; what you must keep in mind is…"

"He trusts me," he complained half-heartily. "How am I supposed to make him Fall after him telling me that?"

"I don't know if you're going native or if you're going  _angelic._  That's stupid, Crowley. He trusts you? Well, that's his problem. He should have known better." The Deadly Sin looked around, trying to find the waiter and ask for another drink; he had the distinct feeling they would be needing it. "Or you shouldn't have been so damn likeable."

Crowley let out a dry chuckle. "I wasn't trying to get him to like me."

"Yeah. Maybe that was the problem." Louis leaned against the seat's back and kept watching his companion in contemplative silence. "There's no way out. Surely you realize this?" the other nodded grudgingly. "You have to do it."

"I know," Crowley sighed and rested his head against the table. "And I'll do it. Doesn't mean that remorse isn't eating me alive."

"Remorse? Hmph. Definitely the latter, then."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're going  _angelic,_ " the Deadly Sin explained mockingly. "That's a dangerous path, my friend." Another satisfied smirk as the lower-ranked demon sneered. "You know it's true."

"It is not. I have no wish whatsoever to redeem myself. I just like Aziraphale too much," and seeing Louis was smirking in a way that clearly said 'I told you so' he added. "Not in that way."

"Hey, I said nothing," finally the waiter reappeared and the demon asked for another whisky. "So; do you have big plans for tonight?"

"As the matter of fact, I do."

"Oh?"

"We're having dinner at my place."

"Sounds promising," he took a sip of his now refilled drink and leaned closer to his companion. "You're running out of time, you know? Maybe you would like to speed things up a bit?"

"I can't. Can't get him to suspect nothing, I'm afraid."

"I didn't mean that," Lust whispered and then took a quick glance around, as if making sure nobody was hearing them. "I could give you a little help, if you would like."

"Huh? How come?"

The higher-ranked demon smirked. "Oh, you'll see," he whispered, placing a finger tip over Crowley's forehead. Said demon arched an eyebrow and was about to make a question when he felt a sudden rush of energy coming into his body.

"What the…?"

"Just do me a favor," stated Louis, leaning back, looking slightly exhausted. "Never, ever tell Karin I did this. I would never hear the end of it."

* * *

"So… you've decided to change your business focus?"

"Huh?" Aziraphale looked up from his book and stared at the newcomer. Karin just smirked.

"Well, I was just wondering. I mean, with all this flowers and stuff, one could easily mistake this place for a gift shop."

"Oh," the angel blushed lightly and put his book down. "Well, in my defense, I did try to talk Crowley out of bringing me gifts."

"And he chose to ignore you. Lovely," the female shaped demon walked towards the counter and inspected the book her friend had been reading. "Oh my Gosh. Are you seriously reading this?"

"What?"

"Bridget Jones' diary? Honestly hon, this is the sort of stuff I didn't expect from you."

"Hey, it's very well-written!"

"Well, I wouldn't know about that," she argued, skimming through it, "since I've never read it. I loved the movie, though. Corny, but adorable." She eyed the book pile sitting over the counter, "you've been reading quite a lot, huh?"

Aziraphale shrugged. "I do have a lot of spare time, dear."

"Of course," she replied calmly, now reading the books covers. "Quite a selection, I must say. Oh, I watched this movie too! Absolutely loved it!"

"Karin dear, Jane Austen's works are classics. How could you…?"

"I don't read romantic novels, honey bunch," was her response. "But that's hardly the point, right?"

"I beg your pardon?"

The demon rolled her eyes. "My point is, why have you been reading every frigging romantic novel you could get your hands on?"

"No particular reason."

"Riiiight."

Long, tense, unnerving silence followed. "I'm doing a little research, ok?"

"Research?"

"Yes. I'm…" he sighed, running a hand through his hair. "There's something that has been bothering me and I'm trying to… make some sense out of it."

"Huh. Interesting." She smirked smugly, conformably sitting over the counter. "Could this something be the warm feeling stirring inside of you every time Crowley shows up with a rose bouquet? 'Cozz if that's the case, do not waste any more time trying to figure what it is; I'll tell you right away my dear friend! You see, it's a little thing humans are very fond of calling 'love'!"

"KARIN!"

"What?" she argued somewhat angrily. "Why don't you do yourself a favor and admit you're in love?"

"Because I'm not!"

"Right."

"And even if a was," he continued, apparently having not heard her. "It would never work"

"How did you figure?"

"Well because… because… well… I mean, me and Crowley, we're not… I don't think… We're just not meant to be!"

"Oh, really? How come?"

"He's not interested."

"Oh, of course. That's why he showers you with unnecessary gifts and asks you out every chance he gets. Clearly he's not even slightly interested. Good point."

"Dear…"

"Honestly, he can't be any more obvious. Or are you expecting him to show up in the middle of the night, sweep you off your feet, look you in the eye, tell you he can't live without you, that he's madly in love with you and then ask you to be his forever? And naturally, afterwards you'll hope for the big white wedding and to live happily ever after."

"We both know that's not gonna happen."

"And you sound awfully disappointed about it!" the girl stated frustrated. "Really hon, you must stay realistic. He loves you and you love him. There; that's the simple and plain truth."

"Or so you think."

"Or so I…? AZIRAPHALE! Don't you dare to deny it any longer! It's as clear as…"

"You know dear? Despite how lovely and interesting your hypotheses are, I have to stay real. And I also have to get ready for a… umm…"

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'date'."

"Yes, well, that…"

Karin smirked even more and jumped off the counter. "Well then, let's get you ready for it. Obviously, I'll have to pick out your outfit, since you still lack fashion sense…"

* * *

"He'll be here any minute now. And I really don't want to explain with whom I was arguing on the phone."

"We're not arguing, pumpkin." Crowley groaned at the pet-name and Louis chuckled. "I'm merely informing you what you should expect when…"

"I don't need your lecture, Louis."

"Is that so? Hmph. Interesting; because last time I checked you had no experience whatsoever with…"

"Not another word!"

"I wasn't going to say that!" the Deadly Sin argued mockingly. "Such a pervy mind you have. I was going to say 'with making an angel Fall."

"Yes, you were going to say that and I'm Queen Elizabeth." The lower-ranked demon deadpaned, peeking through the window, making sure Aziraphale hadn't arrived. "I'm going to hang up now."

"Are you sure you don't...?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." Just then he saw a white car parking outside his building. "Oh, for G-Someone's sake!"

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing," protested the demon through clenched teeth. "Your girl is here."

"Oh? And what's Karin…?"

"Apparently, she has come to drop Aziraphale off." Again, he groaned. "Honestly…"

"Jealous, Crowley dear?" Louis laughed at the mere idea. "You're being over dramatic. She might actually be doing you a favor."

"How come?"

"Well… you'll see. Right now, I do think you need to hang up before Aziraphale knocks…" and as if on cue, the angel knocked on the door. "Ok, gotta go!" Crowley exclaimed, suddenly feeling somewhat nervous.

"Good lu-!" but the rest of Louis phrase was lost as the other demon hung up and tossed the phone on a random direction.

Time for the show to start!

* * *

"So, anyway, if you needed anything… and I mean anything, like a quick last-minute advice or…"

"Karin, I'll be fine. It's not even a real date, anyway. It probably means nothing."

"Yeah, because guys totally invite you to their apartment just so you can compliment their new carpet," she smirked and winked somewhat manically. "Although maybe he would like to test his new bed with you…"

"KARIN!"

"What?! Really dear, you can't be that naïve. Six millennia here and still no…?" Aziraphale was shaking his head vigorously and the girl eyed him unbelieving. "You gotta be kidding me."

"I'm an angel, dear."

"So what? It doesn't mean… well, it does mean you don't have any sort of hormones whatsoever but still… A little experimenting now and then has never killed anyone."

"Anyway… I doubt I'll be needing your help at all, dear." He added, quickly changing the subject. "We'll probably just have a nice quiet dinner…"

"To make up for the loud s…"

"KARIN!"

"Okay, okay. I'll shut up. Geez! You... Oh, here we are," she stated, parking outside Crowley's building. "So… good luck, I guess." She was smiling at him in a very unnerving manner. Like a mother who's watching her child graduate and Aziraphale didn't like that look. Oh no, not at all.

"Thank you for driving me here." He said, getting out the car. "I'll see you later, ok?"

"Of course! Sooner than you might think!" she exclaimed, still grinning like a madwoman. "Bye-bye, angel dear."

And with that, the angel walked into the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, I had forgotten how obssesed with Hugh Grant's movies I once was...  
> Anyway, thoughts, anyone? Not sure when I'll get the chance to update again, seeing how caothic my life is quickly becoming... but hope it'll be soon!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! Sorry that I took this long to update, but my boss expects me to actually work during my working hours... LOL. I'll try to keep the updates steedy, though. Only 6 chapters more to go! And an epilogue that I'm still not sure I want to write... (because it'll end up in me writting another fic and I don't know if I've got enough inspiration for that)  
> Anyway, on with the chapter!

It was the perfect romantic set up and for the first time in that day, Aziraphale started to wonder if maybe he should have been more suspicious of Crowley's recent behavior.

Something was stirring inside him. A sense of warmness was quickly spreading across his limbs and yet he couldn't quite name the feeling. It was like eating a lot of chocolate while reading one of those novels he had been reading for the last few days. Only ten times better.

"Eh… dear? May I ask what all this is about?"

"Whatever you mean?" asked Crowley, who was busying himself with serving dinner's first course.

"Well… you know. The dinner. And the rest." The demon stared at him questioningly, as if he really had no idea whatsoever of what the angel meant. "You know; the flowers, the walks in the park, the quiet lunches and all that…"

"Can't I do something nice for you once in a while?"

He sounded hurt. Aziraphale watched his friend in silence, thinking how odd this whole thing was and yet feeling strangely flattered. He liked this 'new' side of Crowley. It was almost as if…

No, better not to harbor such emotion. Crowley might care for him, but he could not possibly love him.

And yet, all he really wanted was to believe otherwise.

* * *

  _Please, angel, please._ The demon pleaded mentally, willing the other to realize his 'true' intentions. He wouldn't be able to live with the remorse if Aziraphale fell for his façade. He didn't want to do this and yet if he didn't…  _Oh please, you got to realize this can't be for real! Please, you must see it's a trap!_

But the demon knew his companion wouldn't see it. Because he was a master of deceive and because the angel didn't want to doubt him. Briefly, Crowley pondered why would that be; could it possibly be that Aziraphale…?

No. It couldn't be. The angel couldn't have  _fluffy feelings_ for him. Why would he? Sure, they hung around quite a lot; they liked the other's company but still…

For some odd reason, the mere idea of Aziraphale harboring actual feelings for him, made him feel even more disgusted with himself and his demonic mission.

And yet, he also felt so warm inside.

* * *

He needed to do it.

Dinner was over and now it was time for the real show to start. Crowley knew it and had tried to postpone the moment as much as he could, but there was no way for him to keep delaying the inevitable.

He needed to do it. How many times had the statement played itself inside his head? He didn't know anymore, but never mind how many times he told himself he ought to do it, he just couldn't.

Every single thing he was feeling or thinking had a way of showing itself in his normally poker-face. Which was why Aziraphale was so worried about him. He could tell his friend was getting more and more anxious with each passing minute. He wanted to ask what was wrong, although something deep within himself, told him he really didn't want to know. Still, he was an angel, so… "Dear, are you quite alright?"

"Of course," replied the other, or rather, snapped. "Why wouldn't I?"

"Dear boy, I didn't mean to upset you." Argued the angel, in a soothing tone. "I just…"

And then it happened. As Aziraphale placed a hand over Crowley's shoulder, something inside the demon triggered. A sudden wave of energy left his body and filled the room and that was when he understood what Louis had done a few hours before.

Although both Aziraphale and Crowley could influence humans around them to do right or wrong*, they couldn't actually force them to do something. Free will, you see.

Technically, every angel and every demon played by the same rules. However, Heavenly Virtues and Deadly Sins had stronger influences and unless you were evil incarnate or a real saint**, it was near impossible to resist them. Which, over the course of centuries, had lead to a lot of smiting, fighting and generally yelling at each other; so finally, the seven angels and the seven demons had agreed on never using their full powers on one human at once.

Yet, nobody said anything about not 'lending' it. Or about using their influences on another supernatural being.

Crowley would have groaned and blessed loudly, hadn't his mouth been too busy with Aziraphale's neck. It was too late to stop and there was absolutely nothing he could do to prevent himself from jumping over his companion. Had he know, or even imagined, what Louis had implied when he offered his help, he would have avoided, by all means, any sort of physical contact with the angel. Sadly, now that the hidden powers had been triggered, there was no way back.

It just wasn't going to end pleasantly.

Which didn't mean it wasn't going to be a fun ride!

________________________________________________________________

*Depending on who was doing the influencing, of course.

**Once again, depending from whom the 'attack' was coming from.

_________________________________________________________________

Being an angel, Aziraphale wasn't familiar with the 'urges' of the flesh. He, of course, knew the basics of sex, seduction and lust but had never experienced them first hand. Actual understanding of such ideas wasn't simply part of his job's requirements.

Which was proving to be quite problematic.

As his companion's mouth traveled his neck, he was finding increasingly harder to keep his composure or to even think. He was rather terrified to realize he didn't care about Falling; what was meant to be, would turn out to be so. Right then, all he really cared for…

It was odd, he pondered briefly, how quickly things were happening. Just a single innocent touch and it was like something had triggered inside him… Something he didn't quite know he could feel…

So many times before they had touched and yet… His thoughts were interrupted right then, as the demon started nibbling his neck. All coherent thought disappeared and all what was left was the burning need to… "Angel?"

"Huh?" he was trying to contain a moan but he knew he wouldn't be able to hold himself back anymore. Oh, he really needed to…

"Do you want to move this to my bedroom?"

He didn't particularly care; as long as Crowley kept kissing him like that, he didn't mind where they were. However, the angel nodded meekly, before standing up and practically dragging his counterpart to the bedroom.

His last thought before he crossed the room's threshold was that he was about to get damned.

Oh well, never mind that. It was totally worth it.

* * *

A perfect succession of kisses and caresses and soon enough, none of them was thinking anymore. Pure desire kept them moving and maybe it was better that way. Remorse and fright would only have ruined the moment and because of that, maybe it had been better that Lust had decided to give them a little 'push'.

However…

As his shirt fell on the floor, Aziraphale had a sudden revelation. It was the briefest vision; you blinked, you missed it. Yet, and fortunately for the angel, he didn't blink and so he realized that, before they went all the way, he needed to… "Dear?"

"Huh?" Crowley's mind was completely blinded by lust and he had practically forgotten how to formulate sentences. Therefore, his response wasn't quite unexpected.

"I… I love you."

The demon froze. Immediately, all the lust he had been feeling seconds ago was drained out of his system and the sudden clarity of what he was doing and the implications of it overwhelmed him.

He was going to make his best friend Fall.

_No._  A single word that also meant he had finally made a decision. No, he wouldn't. Because he didn't want to. Because he… "I love you too."

There are things better left unsaid forever.

This was one of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? I'm evil, I know! I love cliffhangers a little too much!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's a new chapter... but it might not be what you're expecting! It's quite short, though...

Something was rather odd, although Karin couldn't quite put her finger on it. For the last three hours she had been rummaging around the kitchen, preparing a chocolate cake that she had decided to give Aziraphale the next morning. Not that she thought he would be able to meet her at all* but still, she needed to keep her mind occupied, if only to avoid feeling guilty and/or concerned.

She honestly believed things would work out for the best. Yet, if they didn't, poor Aziraphale was going to pay a high price. And it would be all her fault; being her friend and all, maybe she ought to have warned him about…

Well, to be honest, she had given him a fair warning. That he choose to ignore her, was an altogether different issue.

_Don't know much about your life/ Don't know much about your world, but/ don't want to be alone tonight /On this planet they call earth._

She turned the volume up and soon the whole apartment was filled with Lea Michele's voice singing 'Taking Chances'. She had recently became obsessed with this American TV-Show called Glee and she kept listing the soundtrack over and over again. Louis protested a lot about it, but of course, he never won an argument so she kept on listening to her CD.

And that was exactly what was missing! Why wasn't Louis complaining loudly about her lack of taste on music? The minute her CDs started playing, the moment he started complaining and yet, right then…

"Darling, are you alright?" she peeked inside the bedroom, frowning slightly.

"Why do you ask?" the Deadly Sin questioned, cracking one eye open. "And what are you doing still up?"

She didn't respond. Instead, she crawled into bed and pressed one cold palm against his forehead. "You seem tired."

"I'm tired."

"Why?"

"It's midnight, dear. Surely…"

"You're never tired," she argued, sitting next to him. "You're a demon. We don't need to rest." She crossed her arms over her chest and looked thoughtful for a minute ."I mean, I know you like to sleep and all, but still… I had never actually seen you tired before. At least not tired enough to let me listen to my music without protesting."

"I'm really not in the mood for this, Karin." Louis protested, sensing the imminent danger he was in. If his girlfriend could put two-and-two together, she would soon realize what he had done and he would get scolded.**

Again she pressed her palm against his forehead and he was about to protest once again when she hit him straight on the chest."OUCH! What the hell was that about?"

"You lend Crowley your powers, didn't you?"

"What is to you?" he discussed, crossing his arms too and glaring darkly at her. He felt exhausted and he really didn't want to argue but that didn't mean he was going to 'give up' easy either.

"LOUIS! How dare you?!"

"Hey! When you came back you were so happy about Aziraphale Falling that you could barely contain yourself!" he protested, still glaring. "So don't you…"

Karin sighed dramatically, before collapsing on bed next to him. "Oh God, I can't believe this is happening. I should have foreseen it, though…Oh God, I'm an idiot!"

"Yes dear… do you think you could stop using so much the G-word?"

"You mean God?"

"Yes, that."

"I thought using His name in vane was okay," she pouted lightly, forgetting her 'angst' for a couple of seconds.

"Yes, well… it is. But we don't… I mean… well…"

"Never mind that," she said, suddenly remembering what her real point was. "I still can't believe you did something as foolish as lending your powers. It could be dangerous, you know?"

"How come?"

"Well, if Chas was to find out…"

"Well, what Chas doesn't know won't hurt her, right? Or me, for that matter."

The brunette demon chuckled. "I guess so. But we're missing the point again. The point is…"

"I should have told you before doing it?"

"Yep," she nodded solemnly. "You see, the thing is… I had a plan. A very brilliant one, if I might add." Louis arched an eyebrow and she interpreted that as her cue to continue. "There is a loophole."

"You're kidding," he stated, disbelieving.

"No," she replied calmly, sitting up straight. "I figured it would work for them."

"B-b-b-b-b-b-ut…"

"Darling, please do not shutter. You look a bit silly when you do that." This time, Lust was the one pouting and Karin smiled gently. "And stop pouting too. As adorable as you might look, I don't think it's appropriate for a demon like yourself."

"Why didn't you tell me earlier about this loophole? Or Crowley, for that matter. Even Aziraphale, for Someone's Sake!"

"Well… I'm still not sure it works. I mean, I didn't use it. And I don't know anyone who…" the Deadly Sin was eying her with something between amusement and concern, which she just found too disturbing and decided to get to the point. "I was pretty sure it would work. After all, Love is a Divine emotion."

"You're not making much sense, Karin dear."

"Perhaps not," she shrugged before standing up. "Yet, now that you have interfered, it doesn't matter anymore," she sighed and Louis immediately noticed she was fighting back tears."It doesn't matter," she repeated and a soft whimper escaped her lips. "I'll be in the kitchen, if you need anything."

Louis watched her go and wondered if he should go after her. Obviously the female-shaped demon was distressed but what was he supposed to do? He had only been doing his job; making sure Crowley finished his mission so…

He discovered he didn't have the energy to keep on mussing over that. So he decided to do the most logical thing to do. He closed his eyes and slowly drifted to dream land.

Maybe everything would be better in the morning.

_________________________________________________________

*Because, most likely, Crowley would keep him 'busy'.

**How did Karin managed to scold him and actually got him to feel bad about himself, was a mystery impossible to resolve.

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See? So short! And nothing is really happening, but I do believe it works better this way... Thoughts, anyone?


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Hope you enjoy!

Karin was looking sulky and Louis knew it was, partially at least, his fault. Still, he wasn't going to be the one to apologize first. Granted, he should have told her about his plan before lending Crowley his powers but she should have told him about this  _'loophole_ ´ she claimed to have figured out. So, in a way, both were to blame, right?

Right. He still didn't like to see her sulking. Oh well... there it went his demonic pride once again. "I'm sorry," he grumbled, eying her from the corner of his eye.

Karin sighed and glared at the traffic light which had just turned to red. Immediately, it changed to green and Louis sighed too. He guessed they weren't going to talk about it, then.

"Never mind," she whispered suddenly, gazing at the empty street through the car's window. "I guess I should apologize too. I should..." She groaned, frustrated. "I can't believe I didn't see it coming!"

"Don't blame yourself," he tried to reassure her, knowing for sure he wasn't going to succeed. "Orders are orders, my dear."

"Yep," she sighed once again. "I just wish... well, never mind." She started taping her fingers over her lap, probably pondering something. "But maybe... of course, that might just be wishful thinking, but maybe... there's the slight chance that..." she shook her head. "No, forget it."

The Deadly Sin stared at her and wondered if he really wanted to know what was she thinking. Soon, he decided he didn't. "We'll be there soon. Should we wait or...?"

Karin gazed at her watch and bit her lip. "No. I'll rather be there when it happens."

"What will happen, exactly?" Louis asked, now getting a bit anxious. "I mean, I've never... well, I've never asked you before, have I?"

The brunette laughed. "No, you haven't." She smiled gently before placing a quick kiss on his cheek. "It's not as nasty as you might think. You'll see, soon enough."

That didn't sound very promising but Lust said nothing more and just kept driving in silence.

* * *

Hastur stretched out and yawned. Such a cold morning and yet he felt so great. He had gotten a call last night and he couldn't have been more pleased. It seemed dear Crawly had succeeded on his diabolic mission. A pity he wouldn't be able to punish the demon for his failure but all for the better. After all, everyone knows is far more painful watching someone you love suffering, than being on pain yourself.

A pearl-white car was approaching and the Duke recognized it as Lust's car. He smirked but instead of showing himself, he hid among the shadows of the dark alley. Eventually, he would come out. Later, he would make his appearance at Crowley's apartment. But for now, he would just wait.

He had waited long for his revenge. A couple of hours more would make no difference at all.

* * *

It should have been a beautiful morning.

But the sky was gray and a soft drizzle was falling.

However, when Aziraphale opened his eyes, he was filled with the utter feeling of happiness. A smile immediately lighted his face as he stretched out, not really taking in the view his eyes were offering him, but instead taking in the beauty of the moment.

Crowley was soundly asleep next to him. Back to back they had fallen asleep and Aziraphale was rather proud to have been able to control his need to cuddle. He knew that Crowley wouldn't have appreciated it and why would he want ruin such a perfect night like the night before with such a petty request?

"Go back to sleep." Aziraphale, who had been trying to sneak out of the room, was startled by the sudden sound of his friend's voice and he turned around to face him. However, the demon show no signs of being awake, so he guessed he had just imagined it. "You're not hearing things, angel." Crowley grumbled, cracking one eye open. "Go back to sleep."

"But dear…" he tried to protest and soon realized he really didn't have a good reason to want to leave the bed just yet. "I shouldn't be indulging myself with sloth," he finished lamely and Crowley arched an eyebrow.

"Sleeping until 8 o'clock is not really sloth, you know?"

"Oh well… I… umm… I just…"

Crowley rolled his eyes before rolling over, in order to end up lying over his belly. "Whatever. Do as you please," and having decided to go back to sleep, he ignored the angel, who just sighed.

"Romantic, aren't we?" Aziraphale questioned himself out loud, before standing up and heading towards the living room. "I heard that!" came Crowley's mumbled response once he was standing outside the bedroom and Aziraphale couldn't help to chuckle.

Yes, definitely, the best morning he had ever experienced.

* * *

This sleeping-thing was really wonderful. He should have listened to all the people who had tried to convince him on trying it, for they had been right. He felt so relaxed and happy! He hadn't feel that fine since… well, since forever, really.

He rummaged around Crowley's kitchen, trying to find something to busy himself with. The apartment was too clean for him to do anything about it and the house-plants looked so well-groomed that he doubted there was anything he could do for them.*

Oh, right! He knew what he could do! Breakfast, of course! Clichéd, maybe, but he was new at this sleeping-at-someone-else's-place so he had to stick to what he knew. And after reading all those cheesy romance novels** he figured it was the best he could do.

After some thinking, he decided to go for pancakes. Not that he knew how to prepare them, but he could learn. So the angel willed a cooking book into existence along with all the ingredients needed for the pancakes.

__________________________________________

*Little did Aziraphale knew that the plants would have been very relieved if he had taken care of them instead of Crowley.

**Along with some classics and some very well-written ones.

___________________________________________

Crowley groaned as he realized Aziraphale really wasn't coming back to bed. He could really use more sleep, but figured it would only be polite to join the other in the kitchen and help him with… well, with whatever he was doing.

He stretched out and groaned once again, before standing up. He glared at the bed, which immediately made itself and after a quick glance at his reflection in the mirror, he left the room.

He found Aziraphale preparing something that looked like pancakes, although he couldn't tell for sure. Because, as far as he was concerned, pancakes weren't supposed to be red…

Oh well, if he wanted to eat a decent breakfast, it would be better if he helped.

* * *

A few minutes later, the angel was sitting at the dinning table, watching Crowley making pancakes. The image had a sense of familiarity that made Principality feel comfortable and somewhat… secure. It was also a fragile feeling and he knew it. The slightest disturbance could destroy everything and yet…

He had to admit he had felt utterly scared last night, when he had told Crowley he loved him and the demon had said he loved him back. He had felt scared, because just after the confession, his companion had let go of him and had left the room. Standing in the dark room by himself, Aziraphale knew for the very first time in his immortal life, fear. Fear of rejection, fear of the unknown. Fear for himself and for his friend. Fear of losing everything he held dear.

And by that he didn't mean his halo. He meant Crowley. His best friend, his only companion, his 'true' love. His everything.

Oh, corny, wasn't he?

* * *

From the corner of his eye, Crowley caught a sight of Aziraphale's thoughtful face. Undoubtedly he was revising last night's events and most likely, just like the demon himself, he couldn't tell for sure if they had done the right thing.

When the angel told him he loved him, he had the sudden urge to run. He found himself unable because, after all, they were at his apartment. Yet, he had wanted to run away so badly!

So he had done the 'best' thing he could think of. He left the room. His previous emotions and desires had 'died' the moment the angel said the L-word. Because something else had been born inside his chest. Or rather, it had been released.

For the next hour he had been sitting outside the room, marveling on his flat's wonderful view. He had tried so hard to hush the voice inside his head, but he had known all along it was pointless. Now that he had admitted it aloud, there was no way of taking it back.

He was in love with Aziraphale.

Great, just great.

* * *

Now they were eating breakfast and Aziraphale couldn't take his eyes off his companion. They were eating in silence, obviously still unwilling to speak about last night and about their confession. What happened after it had been rather anti-climatic; admittedly, when he had pictured that moment*, he had always imagined…

He blushed but Crowley didn't notice and for that, the angel was thankful. He really didn't want the other to make snide remarks about his 'innocence', not before they talked about what they felt and…

Although, what was left to say? What else did he expect? An engagement ring? Ja! Now that was a ridiculous idea…

Right?

______________________________________________

*Not that he had done it on regular basis, mind you.

______________________________________________

Crowley was troubled. He had suddenly remembered his assignment and was worrying about it. He cared for the angel and naturally, he had decided not to complete his task. Then, it was only a matter of time before he got called and punished. What was he supposed to tell Aziraphale? The truth? But the truth was so complex and could have so many interpretations, depending of where were you standing…

Well, either way, he was damned. He might just as well enjoy his last days on Earth, for they had nothing more. After all, they hadn't really done anything last night, so there was no reason for Aziraphale to Fall and/or for him to claim he had completed his mission.

There was a song… how did it go? Something about taking chances and jumping and not knowing if there was ground below or something something or  _Hell to pay._  He stifled a chuckle. Well, in his particular case, he knew there was going to be hell to pay. And yet, every time he saw Aziraphale smiling at him, he couldn't care less. Life was good now and as little as it might last…

It was better a short life, loving and being loved that a long one without love whatsoever.

* * *

A knock on the door startled both of them and Crowley was immediately by the entrance. The angel remained on his seat, silently wondering who might be paying his friend such an early visit. He heard the demon's surprised exclamation and worried slightly, before he heard the so-familiar voice of Karin and Louis.

"So, we're supposed to wait with you 'till it happens." Karin was explaining in which she most likely thought was a quiet tone, but was rather loud. At least for angelic ears.

"But we didn't do anything!" Crowley protested airily and Aziraphale frowned. What were they talking about?

"You mean I lend you my powers for nothing?" Lust argued and the angel's brain started to put two-and-two together. Wait a second…

"I… well, to be fair, you didn't tell me what…"

"Oh, as if it was so difficult to decipher!"

"Wait a minute. We're missing the point here; you mean to tell us you two didn't…?"

And finally every piece fell into its rightful place. Right, that was why he hadn't been able to stop himself from throwing himself into the demon's arms. Lust. Oh dear, but that also mean… No. It was impossible. Crowley wouldn't do that to him.

Or would he?

"Dear?" he said, his voice a barely audible pained whisper, as he stood up.

"Yes?" Crowley looked at him and the other two demons used that second of distraction to walk into the apartment. "What's the matter?"

"Y-you lied to me?"

What was he supposed to answer to that? The truth?

Well, you see, the problem was… he didn't know what the truth would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know, I know... I'm a bad person. Sorry, I just love cliffhangers a little too much. Just you wait till you read next chapter! LOL  
> Anyway, thanks for reading! Just 3 more chapters to go and an epilogue, that I'm not sure how to write...


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter! We're almost at the end!

"No. Well, yes. Technically. But…!"

He wasn't listening. He couldn't listen. He didn't want to know. The dreadful sense of betrayal was making him ill and Aziraphale was quite sure he was about to pass out for pure and simple distress.

Too bad he was an angel and those sorts of emotional displays weren't possible for him.

The next thing he knew was that Karin was forcing him to sit down on the couch, while instructing Louis to prepare some tea. Crowley stood by the door, not daring to move and looking like he didn't know what to do with himself. Aziraphale couldn't help to huff.

"I can't believe it," he uttered softly, burring his face between his arms, barely noticing Karin's arm around his shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked to the female shaped demon and she had decency to look ashamed, for a couple of seconds at least. "I warned you, didn't I?" she whispered, hugging him closer. "Don't worry dear. It's not half as bad as you might think."

He wanted to snap. To scream out his frustration: frustration with himself, with Crowley, with Karin, with Louis. With Heaven and Hell. But maybe what angered him the most was the fact that it had been his own stupidity what had put him in this position: his own foolish trust in the demon who had been his companion for the last six millennia. And then it hit him. "You… you did try to warn me," he whispered, turning towards Crowley. "A few days ago, when we were at the park. When you asked me if I trusted you."

The demon nodded sadly. "I'm…" but what Crowley wanted to say, the angel never found out because just then, the sound of someone's steps got their full attention and everyone turned towards the door.

"Morning, everyone," greeted a handsome young man, standing at the threshold while smirking evilly. "So, what did I miss?"

"Hastur." Louis greeted him darkly and the rest of the beings in the flat stared at the Duke, surprised by said demon's appearance. The highest-ranked demon just smirked some more.

"You've been following me," Crowley accused him, glaring. Hastur let out a dry chuckle. "Of course, Crawly. After all, this whole thing was my idea. I wanted to make sure you would carry on with it until the last consequences."

Crowley was about to say something rather nasty that would probably land him an awful lot of trouble* when the flat was filled with a bright white light, which immediately gained everyone's attention.

When the light faded, they could saw a woman standing in the living room. She looked like an average teenager, although admittedly a very good-looking one. Her long blond hair was pulled into a loose pony-tail, making her dashing blue eyes stand out even more. She was wearing a plain pair of jeans, with a white tank top. But definitely, her best accessory right then, was the bright warm smile she was showing. "May you have a good morning, everyone," she greeted calmly. "I'm looking for Angel Aziraphale. I'm here to take him to the Angel's Court."

"Hi Chas!" Louis exclaimed happily, before receiving a cold stare from Karin, who then proceeded to glare at the newcomer.

"Louis." the woman stated plainly. "Why I'm not surprised of seeing you here?" at this, Hastur chuckled, earning the female's attention. "Duke Hastur." She whispered darkly, with a slight sneer.

"A real pleasure seeing you again, Chas"

"Yes, well… I'm afraid I can't say the same." She shook her head sadly, before turning to Aziraphale, with a look that clearly said 'This ain't looking very good for you', which just made the angel's mood darken even more. "Angel Aziraphale," she said, placing a hand over his shoulder. "Do you know who I am?"

"Eh… no, not really," he offered her an ashamed smile, which she returned lovingly.

"I'm Chastity. One of the Seven Contrary Virtues," she stated. "As I said, I'm here to take you to the Angel's Court. Will you come with me, without any resistance?"

"I… yes, yes I will." He said, taking a deep breath. At this, Crowley took a step towards him, as if trying to stop him but also afraid of what might happen if he intervened. Chastity stared at him.

"Demon Crowley, I presume?" she asked and he nodded meekly. She smiled kindly at him. "You may come with us, if you want."

Crowley gazed at his demonic companions, searching for some sort of aid. Louis shrugged while Hastur smirked wickedly. Only Karin smiled at him and gestured him to go with the angels. "Okay. I'll go."

"My dear, you shouldn't…" Aziraphale realized, a second too late, that he had called a demon 'my dear' in front of one of the Virtues. However, Chastity seemed to pay it no mind, as she kept on smiling indulgingly at them. He also realized that despite of what Crowley had done, he cared deeply for him.

"Come here, Demon Crowley," the Virtue said and the demon walked towards her, although a bit unwillingly. She just smiled some more, before spreading her long pearlish-white wings and surrounding him and Aziraphale with them. "Okay… here we go!"

And with the same blinding light she had come, she was gone, leaving two confused demons and a rather pleased female-shaped one behind.

________________________________________________

Much more than he was already in, that is.

_________________________________________________

It felt a bit like Falling. It was the same suffocating feeling, along with the crushing need of clinging onto something or someone and the excruciating pain of knowing that no one would help. Only it didn't last long.

Soon enough, they 'landed' into some sort of office. It looked like the average CEO's one, with huge crystal doors, an enormous window and a lovely view. Two desks stood at each side of the office entrance and two beautiful women sat behind them. One was tapping something in the computer, while talking with someone on the phone. She didn't look at the newcomers; as the matter of the fact, she didn't seem to have notice their sudden appearance. The other one, though, did notice their arrival and was smiling kindly at them. "Morning, Ms. Virginia."

"Morning, Monica" Chastity responded. Apparently, Virginia was the human name she had choose, but that wasn't the important thing right then, was it? Nor was it where were they or… "Is Augusto here?"

"Naturally," responded the secretary, standing up. "So are the rest of your brothers, miss. They said you'd be arriving shortly, along with two men. When you arrived, I was to lead you to the Conference Room."

Chastity nodded, her smile never fading and gestured her companions to come with her. They walked through a long bright corridor, surrounded by smaller offices. At the end of the hall stood a huge wooden door which the secretary knocked. "Come in," a male's voice ordered and Monica pushed the door open, standing aside so they could come in. Chastity smiled at her and dismissed her with a vague hand gesture.

The Virtue walked in first. Aziraphale and Crowley shared a worried look and then, the angel took a deep breath and followed his Superior in. The demon gulped and yet gathered enough courage to follow his angel.

He didn't have another option, really. He would follow Aziraphale to the End of the World. Or, in this case, to some Heavenly Court. Just as the angel would follow him to the Gates of Hell.

Which was exactly why they ended up in this mess, wasn't it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... thoughts anyone? I hope you enjoyed it!


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Almost done! Sorry for the late update, but work has been awful!! I swear I'll proof-read this another day but tonight... I'm just too tired. Sorry for any mistakes you find!

Against all odds, the Conference Room looked like an average one. A round table with ten chairs, all of them rather comfortable-looking. But only one man was there and hadn't the secretary said that there were other people waiting for them?

The man looked to be in his mid-forties. His hair was a dark shade of brown, with some white hairs here and there, carefully groomed. He was wearing a black suit, with a grayish shirt and no tie. His eyes were of an interesting shade of green, almost grey. He looked up at them and they could see a few wrinkles in the corners of his eyes and his mouth. He looked quite peaceful and gentle, although a bit severe. Right then, he was smiling and yet, his stare was stern.

"Good morning," he greeted and then gazed at his watch. "Just in time, I see."

Chastity pouted lightly, as if the idea of being slightly late upset her greatly. The man, however, took no notice. Instead, he turned his attention to Crowley. "You might wait here, demon."

He stood up and headed towards a door on the other side of the room. Chastity turned to Aziraphale and gestured him to follow her. The angel chewed his lip nervously, but nodded and did as he was told. Or would have, hadn't Crowley grabbed him by his elbow and pulled him close. "No way I'm leaving you," he whispered a bit possessively. Although in his insides Aziraphale was beaming, for the demon seemed really concerned about him, he pretended to be bothered.

Virginia frowned and turned to the other Virtue. The man sighed frustratedly and with a wave of his hand, Aziraphale was immediately at his side. Gently, although firmly, he leaded the angel into the next room and Chastity hurried after them, closing the door after her. Crowley watched the whole display, which barely lasted a couple of seconds, in such awe that he wasn't able to react.

When he reacted though, it was rather violently.

He ran towards the door and tried to push it open. When it refused to be opened, he started punching it with rage, not really hoping it would eventually let him in, but not knowing either what else to do. All he knew was that he needed to be by his angel's side, for there was no other place he would rather be. Besides, all this was his fault and he needed to make it better because… because…

"My dear child, you'll only hurt yourself if you keep that up." A gentle voice scolded him and the demon stared at the newcomer, who he hadn't hear entering. A woman stood in front of him and her beauty was beyond description. Despite she looked to be in her mid-fifties, she seemed full of life and joy. Her hair was almost completely white and her eyes were a shade of blue so clear, they were almost transparent. This, however, shouldn't be perceived as a bad thing, for those eyes were the most amazing and lovely eyes ever. And when she smiled, the whole world seemed to light up.

So, against Crowley's very nature, he couldn't help to actually feel comforted by the woman's angelic presence.

She was a Dominion, he noticed right away and yet, the knowledge didn't fill him with fear, despite the fact that this lovely looking lady could destroy him with a simple stare. She smiled at him gently, before softly caressing his cheek and saying. "You must wait here, Crowley. Aziraphale will be fine," she placed a palm over the firmly shut door and it immediately opened. "That's if he has stayed true to our principles."

And with that, she was gone, leaving a more relaxed demon behind.

* * *

Minutes merged into hours, or at least they did in Crowley's opinion. In reality, only twenty minutes passed before the door was opened once again and Chastity peeked into the Conference Room. She smiled charmingly at the demon, who was sulking and gestured for him to come in. Crowley did just so.

The Court Room was rather plain. And dim. This, however, didn't trouble the demon in the slightest. What did worry him was that Aziraphale was no where in sight.

A group of blenchers stood on the other side of the room. On the highest one sat the woman-shaped Dominion who had talked to him before the trial began. On each side of her, sat a group of 3 angels, three women and three men. In front of each of them, a little gold placate stated their humans' names and their Heaven's status. However, Crowley didn't have the time or humor to read them, because just then, the interrogation began.

"Welcome to the Angel's Court." Chastity said, gesturing him to sit down, pointing at a small chair in the middle of the room. Crowley merely grunted, but did sit down. The angels in the room stared at him a bit curiously, but nobody said a word in the next few minutes. Finally, Chastity continued. "Well, let's us begin. Please state your name and rank."

"My name is Crowley," stated the demon rather moodily. "I have no rank whatsoever."

"An imp," whispered one of the male-shaped angels; a young-looking angel, with brown eyes and easy smile, whose name was Ethan, the Virtue of Diligence according to his placate and the angel sitting next to him, a youthful one,with a playful grin, reddish hair and freckled white skin named Nathan, the Virtue of Charity had to stifle a snicker. The man who had been waiting at the Conference room and whose name apparently was Augusto, the Virtue of Temperance, glared at them and they immediately shut up.

"Not quite." Crowley argued, glaring too, but said nothing more. In all trueness, he didn't have a rank. Not an official one, anyway.

"Never mind that,said one of the female angels, a blond one with gray eyes whose name was Paula, the Virtue of Humility. "We have more pressing matters to discuss than the demon's lack of rank."

"Indeed," agreed the one sitting on her right, a pretty redhead named Daya, the Virtue of Kindness. "Please continue with the questions, sister," she added, addressing to Chastity who nodded her head and turned back to Crowley.

"Demon Crowley, do you know why you're here?"

He put some actual thought to that. On his answer depended not only the result of the trial, but also Aziraphale's* future. Slowly and a bit unsure, he responded. "I do."

"Care to enlighten us?"

"Not really."

"Do not test our patience, demon!" uttered one of the judges, a woman-shaped angel with long dark hair and heavy eyelids, whose name was Halima and whose rank was, ironically, the Virtue of Patience.

"Do not get angry, sister," argued Daya. "Our darling guest must have forgotten how we handle things here in Heaven and how is he supposed to address to his Superiors."

Crowley hadn't forgotten, mostly because people from Hell demanded the same respect the ones in Heaven did, but decided not to point that out. Instead, he kept on staring at the judges, impassive. Or pretending to be so.

"Anyway," Virginia continued, sensing the imminent discussion that was about to arise between her sisters."Let's move on, shall we? So… how long have you been working on Earth?"

"Since the beginning of the Times," the demon responded, smirking proudly. "I am the Original Tempter, after all." A soft murmur filled the room and for a second, Crowley wondered how much of a good idea saying that had been. Yet it was too late to take it back, right?

"Correct. So, you have known Angel Aziraphale for a long time too, haven't you?"

He didn't answer; instead, he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly. Chastity smiled a bit sarcastically. "Would you say your relationship to said angel is… friendly?" at this Ethan and Nathan chuckled and once again, were silenced by Augusto's stern stare. Chastity let out a soft giggle, but immediately regained her somberness.

Again, the demon didn't answer. It wasn't really necessary, for the Virtues already knew what the answer would be. "Perhaps… too friendly?" she continued asking, earning another snigger from her younger-looking brothers. She looked on the verge of laughing too, yet managed to keep herself together.

"Let's get straight to the point, why don't we?" he said, rather angry. "What exactly do you want to know?"

"Have you or have you not claimed to be in love with Angel Aziraphale?" Chastity asked, all her seriousness back, although her lips were curving into a smile.

The question hit him like a thousand bricks. He should have been expecting it, but somehow, he hadn't thought they would be that forward. Nor had he expected to feel so… so… "Yes."

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Was it because you were instructed, a week and a half ago, to make him Fall?"

The demon didn't answer. He didn't know how to answer that, actually. After all, the only reason he had been forced to face his actual emotions was because of his mission. However, his feelings for Aziraphale… "Yes. Kinda." They were going to be damned. He just knew it. He shouldn't have said that. It was the truth but it wasn't. Oh for Someone's Sake, why was it so confusing?!

Chastity seemed bewildered and had to suppress a gasp, but managed to put herself together quickly. She continued the interrogation as if nothing had happened. "So, was your statement a lie?"

"What do you think?" Crowley protested, not looking directly at her and feeling a pang of guilt and sadness. He did know that it wasn't what he was supposed to say if he wanted to save his friend but then again, he didn't know what else to do. It seemed to him that, either way, it was too late for regrets. "Demons don't love, do they?"

"That's a common misconception."

The moment the Dominion spoke, the whole world went silent. And I mean the WHOLE WORLD, not just the people in the room. Dominions didn't usual meddle with Earthly matters but when they did, everyone heard what they had to say. In most humans' cases, it wasn't consciously. "Demons can love. They only have forgotten how to." She smiled kindly at him "You can hate, right?"

"Well, yes… but…"

"Then, by mere logic, you can love. In order for you to truly hate someone or something, you must have loved it. Before they Fell, demons were angels too and therefore loved everything and everyone. When they Fell, all their bitterness turned them against everything they once held dear. The ability to love is still there, only left unused, because most of them are too focused on hating to remember how it was to love something. Or someone. So, allow me to reformulate the question, Crowley dear," she said, her voice almost a soft enchanting purr. "Have you remembered how to love?"

A long tense silence. Slowly, shyly and almost a bit unwillingly, the demon responded, "Yes."

The Dominion nodded her head, as if she had known all along. "Good. Any more questions, Virginia?" she asked, turning to the Virtue.

"No, Your Excellency."

"Fine. Now we deliberate," with a wave of her hand, she dismissed the demon. "Our decision will be communicated to you shortly."

"But…"

"That would be all."

"Hey, wait a sec…!" argued the demon, exasperated for being ignored by the highest ranked angel. "Where's Aziraphale?"

"Goodbye, demon Crowley."

"BUT…!"

And before he had the chance to complete his question, he was once again waiting outside the room. With a growl, the demon collapsed on one of the chairs and closed his eyes, breathing heavily.

There was nothing else he could do. So, for now, he could just wait.

* * *

*And probably his too.

* * *

Minutes passed and soon the door opened once again, allowing Chastity to step into the Conference Room. "You may come in," she stated calmly and moved aside, so he could walk into the court room. However, she did not follow.

"What…?"

"We've reached a verdict," the Dominion informed him, gaining his attention right away. He turned towards her and managed to look as self-assured as possible. She smiled once again and continued. "Chastity will go with you, to communicate our resolution to your Superiors. Meanwhile, Augusto will go to Aziraphale."

"But…"

"That would be all," the angel interrupted him and gestured him to leave. He wouldn't have obeyed, hadn't Virginia grabbed his arm and transported them back to the demon's apartment.

"Was it the right decision, Your Excellency?" questioned Nathan, watching his sister leave and obviously voicing out loud what was going on inside of each of the Opposite Virtues' heads. "I mean…"

"The right decision, you said?" she asked, her tone dark and her kind smile finally gone. "No. Decisions can only be called so when there are other options. In this case, we simply didn't have a choice," she sighed and turned to them, dismissing them with another wave of her had. "But it was definitely for the best", her lips curved into an elegant and yet mischievous grin.

Yes, it had been for the very best.

She had no doubt about that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, what did you think? I love open endings! LOL. Two more chapters to go, though... Thanks for reading!


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter... sort of. I intend to write an epilogue, but it might take a while... I'm not really sure where I want this to go, so...  
> Anyway, hope you'll enjoy it!

The bright light left him blinded for a couple of seconds, but he eventually regained his sight. And when he did, Crowley found himself back into his apartment, where Hastur, Louis and Karin were still waiting.

The first one was sitting on the couch, gazing around lazily and occasionally flipping through the TV's channels. The Deadly Sin was studying Crowley's plants, enjoying the poor things' fear due his demonic presence, even stronger than their actual owner and Karin was sitting over the kitchen's counter, happily eating the pancakes that he and Aziraphale had left unfinished. However, the three of them soon noticed his presence and turned to him, expectantly. "So," Hastur said, smirking wickedly while rubbing his hands together. "Let's us hear the news, huh?"

Chastity glared slightly at him, before her lovely lips curved into a lovely smile. Although her words were tainted with a bit of smugness, her face betrayed nothing of what she actually felt towards her brothers' and sisters' verdict. "Well, if you must…" she smiled triumphaly, clearly enjoying dragging on the suspense, "the Heavenly Court has decided that the Demon Crowley succeeded on his mission. He has indeed, tempted Angel Aziraphale into Falling." After this, Hastur's smirk went even wider, as if that was possible, while Crowley looked horrified and worried. "However," she continued, a smug smile on her lips, "the Heavenly Court has decided not to Fall Angel Aziraphale due personal interests." This time, her smile was definitely an smirk, as she turned to the Hell's Duke, who was staring at her unbelieving. "That would be all."

"But… but…"

"It was a real pleasure meeting you, Demon Crowley," Virginia continued, smiling charmingly."I'm afraid our paths might never meet again, but that's how it's supposed to be. Have a nice existence." She turned to Louis, looking slightly flirtly, managing to get Karin angered. "I think I'll be seeing you around, Louis. Hopefully, not too soon…"

"And not too late either," the Deadly Sin replied smugly, winking mischievously at her. "See you around, my dear opposite."

She laughed merrily, as Karin sent a flying pancake in her boyfriend's direction. The demon managed to dodge it, barely on time. Just then, Crowley chose to interject. "Wait! Where's Aziraphale?"

"Oh, that," she said, looking at him thoughtfully. "He's home." Crowley stared at her, unable to believe what he had just heard. So, the angel hadn't Fallen but he was back in Heaven?! Well, perhaps it was better that way.

Oh, who was he kidding? It was in his nature to be selfish! And right then, all he really wanted was Aziraphale by his side, never mind if he had Fallen or not!

"Anyway, I must go now. Goodbye, everyone. May God be with you." Then, with one last smile and a flash of light, the Virtue was gone, leaving four shivering demons behind. Also one of them was upset, another was confused, one was pleased… And one was royally pissed off.

Not so hard to guess who, right?

* * *

Once the Virtue was gone, Crowley felt slightly more relaxed. Of course he still felt upset by Aziraphale's departure, but he could live with that. At least the angel was safe and, probably, happy. He hadn't Fallen. And of course, he was out of trouble too. He had completed his mission. That the Heavenly Court had decided against Falling Aziraphale was an all together different issue.

Just as that idea came to his mind, he turned around to face his Superior and he froze.

Hastur looked livid. He had his eyes closed and was breathing heavily. Crowley didn't know what to do and figured the smart thing would be to run away. However, that was hardly an option so... "Eh..."

"This isn't over." Hastur whispered darkly, opening his eyes. "This won't end like this."

"You heard the Virtue, Hastur." Louis interjected, coming to stand up between Crowley and the Duke, seeing the imminent danger the lower ranked demon was in. "Crowley was successful."

"You know that's not how it works, Louis." The highest ranked demon uttered, glaring, "move away."

"No."

"Move..."

"If you do something, or even make a simple threat," Karin said, standing up and walking towards her lover. "Your Superiors will hear about it. And we all know how that will end, huh? Disobeying direct orders is frown upon Down There."

"No one has ordered me anything."

"The Heavenly Court has spoken," the female shaped demon argued. "Although we're not part of their jurisdiction, every one of their decisions are backed up by the Hellish Court. We can not defy their verdict."

Hastur glared at her and Crowley had to admit the girl had some backbone, since she didn't crawl into a corner and cried. Admittedly, she looked terrified but stood on her ground, trying her best to look challenging. "Very well," whispered the Duke, "if that's how it's gonna be..."

He turned around, preparing to leave and muttering something darkly under his breath. At the apartment's threshold he turned around and glared at his interlocutors. "But still, it's not over," he faced Crowley and smirked cruelly. "You might think you have won this round, Crawly. But we'll see who laughs last," and with that, he left.

The three demons left shared a concerned look. Hastur's threat shouldn't be taken lightly; he would get his revenge on each one of them. How and when? Well...

Only time would tell.

* * *

"Why the long face, Crowley dear?" Karin asked after a while, since the other demon hadn't said a word since Chastity's departure. Louis nudged her, although he was confused by the other's behavior too.

"No reason," the demon said, heading towards the kitchen and picking one of the pancakes he had prepared before leaving to the Heavenly Court. He stared at it, absentmindedly, thinking of how perfect that morning had been and how easily it had been ruined.

"What's bothering you?" Karin insisted, eying him worriedly.

"I..." Crowley sighed, defeated. No use in hiding what was really troubling him, right? Better if he got it out of his chest."It's just... Aziraphale's gone."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you heard Chastity. He's home."

"So... why don't you go and pay him a visit?"

"Oh, let me see!" exclaimed the demon, sarcastically. "Because I'm a demon and therefore not allowed to enter Heaven?"

"And why would you... Oh. OH!" Karin exclaimed, finally understanding what the other meant. She smiled sweetly, before giggling a bit. "Oh dear!" she hugged Louis and giggled harder. "Can you believe it?" she asked her boyfriend, laughing harder.

Lust chuckled and nodded his head. "Naive, ain't he?"

Karin laughed some more."I think it's really cute!"

"Well, I..."

"Excuse me!" Crowley screamed, frustrated. "I don't see what's so funny!"

"She didn't mean Heaven," Karin explained, when she managed to stop laughing. "Haven't you heard the phrase 'Home is wherever your heart is'?"

"What...?"

"He's in his bookstore," the Deadly Sin said, rolling his eyes."Oh, aren't you slow?"

But the last words were said to the wind, because Crowley had already left the apartment and was now hurrying towards the angel's place. "Humph. He's in a hurry, isn't he?"

Again, Karin giggled "Love always is."

* * *

Aziraphale stood still while he heard his front door being burst open. He could hear Crowley's agitated breathing and he did want to turn around and run to him or say something or…

"Angel," the other whispered softly. He sounded out of breath, despite he didn't need to breath. He also seemed anxious and Aziraphale really wanted to reassure him. Yet, he kept silent, his back turned to the demon. "Aziraphale," this time he sounded desperate; however the Principality stayed silent.

Shortly after he felt a hand over his shoulder; reluctantly, he turned around and faced his long time friend. He tried to smile and was somewhat successful. "Hi dear."

There was no need for any more words. They were superficial and couldn't quite express what they were feeling. A look, a smile, a kiss. Those spoke thousands words. So simple. So perfect.

Exactly how love was always supposed to be.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That's it for now! Thanks for reading, I promise I'll write the epilogue sooner or later...

**Author's Note:**

> So, what did you think? I seem uncapable of not writting OC's into my fics... Not sure why...   
> Thoughts, anyone?  
> I think I'll be publishing one chapter every second day or something like that, depending on how much free time I have.


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